BYU campus briefs

WOMEN'S SOCCER: Sophomore forward Lauren Anderson led the way with three goals and an assist as BYU defeated Dixie State 7-0 in an exhibition match Saturday in Provo.

After a goal in the first minute by junior midfielder Kassidy Christensen-Shumway set the tone, Anderson found senior forward Alyssa Vander Veur open on the left side of the net, where Vander Veur sent a hard shot high and into the net for the second goal.

"It's something we wanted to do," said Rockwood of the Cougars' quick scoring. "We talked about it right before the game began. We didn't score as many goals as we wanted to last year, so it was good to see tonight."

In the ninth minute, Anderson scored her first goal off a quick flick pass from freshman midfielder Carlee Payne. After the pass, Anderson found herself in a one-on-one opportunity, where she slipped the ball past the Red Storm goalkeeper. She would score again in the 26th minute on a penalty kick after freshman Jessica Ringwood was tripped in the goalbox. Anderson would complete her hat trick on a pass from Payne, this time off of a header in the second half.

Vander Veur led all players with five shots, all on-goal. Vander Veur added her second goal on a follow shot of a Shumway-Christensen attempt that ricocheted off the crossbar. Shumway-Christensen earned an unassisted goal in the 51st minute, scoring after a scrum five yards in front of the net.

The 2009 regular season opens on the road for the Cougars, who will play at the University of Hawaii on Friday, Aug. 21.

CROSS COUNTRY: The BYU men's and women's cross country teams have been selected to win the 2009 Mountain West Conference race in a vote by the league's coaches.

Coming off its ninth MWC crown in 10 years and a ninth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships, the BYU men's cross country team was selected to once again repeat as conference champions in 2009.

The Cougars received five of six first-place votes and had 25 points overall tallied. New Mexico received the other first-place vote and trailed by just four points with 21.

"New Mexico will be tough this year," said BYU head coach Ed Eyestone. "We really need to step up and be prepared because it will be a tough field all around. It should be an exciting race for first place this year."

Air Force came in third with 17 points while Colorado State, Wyoming and TCU rounded up the final spots in the men's preseason rankings.

The BYU women's team received six of nine first-place votes and 62 points overall following a successful 2008 campaign in which the Cougars finished as a runner-up to New Mexico in the MWC Championships.

The Lobos had three first-place votes and 59 points overall, with Colorado State coming in third with 48 points. Air Force and Utah tied for fourth with 38 points while Wyoming (31), UNLV (20), TCU (17) and San Diego State (11) rounded out the list.