Nov. 15, 2002

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's cross country team announced the signing Washington state class 4A runner-up Shannon Bell to a national letter of intent, Head Coach Tom Service announced during early signing period that began Wednesday.

Bell, a senior at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Wash., will join the Bronco women's cross country program next fall and is expected to be the only SCU women's cross country signee during the early signing period. The early signing period began Wednesday and runs through Wednesday, Nov. 20. The spring letter of intent signing period for women's cross country begins April 16.

"Shannon is the prototypical student-athlete that we are recruiting," said Service, the 2001 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year who has led the Broncos to first and second-place finishes at the league championships in his first two seasons. "She has outstanding athletic ability and a truly impressive academic record. She gives us a great start for a tremendous recruiting class this year.

"Despite not having run cross country until her senior season, Shannon has shown that she has an incredible amount of potential and I think she has only scratched the surface. She finished second in a very competitive state cross country meet and she has the background and family support that will ensure her future success."

Bell joined the Gonzaga Prep cross country team this fall as a senior and set a course record in winning her first-ever meet at the Bellarmine Invitational. She set several school records and overcame injury to finish sixth in the regional championships then exploded for a second-place finish in the Washington state meet with a 5,000-meter time of 18:32.

She is the third member of her family to attend Santa Clara. Her parents, David and Annie, are both SCU graduates and her sister, Robin, is a member of the Bronco cross country team and was the 2001 WCC Freshman of the Year.