Oct. 30, 2003

IRVINE, Calif. - The 2003 Big West Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will still be run on Saturday, November 1, but the site has moved from Riverside to San Luis Obispo in response to the continued wildfires that have devastated the Southern California area over the last several days.

The Big West Executive Committee today voted to move the championships from the UC Riverside Agricultural Operations Course to the Fairbanks Memorial Course in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly hosted the Big West Championships on the same layout in 2001.

"In light of the danger posed by the ongoing wildfire situation in Southern California, this was the right decision to make to move the Big West Championships from Riverside to San Luis Obispo," said Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell. "Out of concern for the well-being of our student-athletes, we are happy to still be able to provide them with a quality experience."

The 8K men's race will begin at 8:30 a.m. while the 6K women's race will follow at 9:30 a.m. An awards presentation will conclude the championship at 10:30 a.m.