Team USA to compete in Yokohama International Women's Ekiden

Team USA to compete in Yokohama International Women's Ekiden

INDIANAPOLIS - Team USA will compete Sunday in Yokohama, Japan, at the 2009 Yokohama International Women's Ekiden. In addition to Team USA, the marathon relay will feature teams from six nations including, China, Kenya, Romania, Russia and Finland.

This marks the final year for the, event that features team members running six alternating legs totaling 42.195 km as follows: 1st leg: 5km 2nd leg: 10km 3rd leg: 6km 4th leg: 6km 5th leg: 10km 6th leg: 5.195km.

Leading the team will be 2008 Chiba Ekiden squad members Carrie Messner Vickers (Vail, Colo.); Allison Grace(Blowing Rock, N.C.)along with the Hansons-Brooks duo of Desiree Davila and Melissa White (Rochester Hills Mich.). Joining them will be recent U.S. Cross Country squad qualifier Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va.), and masters star Stephanie Herbst-Lucke (Atlanta, Ga.).

For more information on the 2009 Yokohama International Women's Ekiden visit www.usatf.org.

Desiree Davila

Class:
Senior

Hometown:
Chula Vista, Calif.

High School:
Hilltop HS
Height:
5-2

Event:
Distance







Arizona State: Earned her first All-America honors in 2003 (10th, outdoor 5,000m run)...garnered All-America honors in cross country as well...ranks third and fifth on the school's indoor 3,000m and 5,000m run lists, respectively...sits seventh and 10th in the outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m lists, respectively... 2004 XC: Concluded her final cross country season placing second on the team in every race...finished fifth at the Pac-10 Championships to earn all-conference first team accolades...finished 41st at the NCAA Championships, making her just the third woman in Sun Devil history to compete in four NCAA Cross Country Championship meets...posted three Top 5 finishes, including second Dave Murray Invite, fourth at NCAA West Region and fifth at the conference race...earned all-region honors for her finish in the West meet...received Coaches Award at season banquet...selected to the Academic All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention team... 2004 Outdoor: Advanced to her second NCAA Championship meet in as many years, finishing 23rd in the 5,000m run...scored in two events at the Pac-10 Championships by placing second in the 10,000m run and sixth in the 5,000m...also qualified for regional in the 1,500m after recording a personal best of 4:28.55 to finish second at the Baldy Castillo Invite...also won the race at the Double Dual...earned Honorable Mention Academic All-Pac-10 honors... 2004 Indoor: Ran in three individual races and provisionally qualified for the NCAA meet in the 5,000m run with the fifth-best indoor time in school history...placed third at the Double Dual to score for the team...helped the distance medley relay team to a victory at the Double Dual... 2003 XC: An All-American for the Sun Devils, she helped the team win the Roy Griak and ASU Invites...placed in the Top 15 in four of the six races she ran with all six finishes coming in the Top 44 of the standings...primarily was the third finisher on the team, but was second on the squad at the NCAA meet...earned all-region honors with her 15th place finish...was All-Pac-10 Second Team...also named to the Academic All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention team... 2003 Outdoor: Earned All-America honors in the 5,000m run after placing 10th at the NCAA meet (eight American to finish)...held the second-fastest time on the team in the 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m runs behind Lisa Aguilera...her personal best of 16:17.45 at the Stanford Invitational ranks sixth all-time at Arizona State...earned race victories in the 800m at the Double Dual with a personal best 2:10.21 and the 1,500m run at both the Baldy Castillo and Double Dual...scored for the team in the 5,000m at the Pac-10 Championships (sixth place) and at the NCAA West Regional (fourth place)...was an honorable mention selection to the Pac-10 All-Academic squad... 2003 Indoor: Second on the team in the 3,000m run with the third-fastest time in school history (9:36.28)...third on the team in the mile run...her 3,000m run placed her second at the Pac-10 Invitational...also finished fifth in the mile at the Boise State Invitational... 2002 XC: Competed in six races for ASU with her best race being run at the Pac-10 Championships where she finished 12th...conference meet time of 21:19 was tops for her this year...also earned a spot on the All-Pac-10 Conference Second Team...third on the team at the NCAA Championships with a 21:37.8 and 118th-place finish...took fourth on the squad at the NCAA West Region meet to help team advance to national meet...garnered honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic accolades... 2002 Outdoor: Competed in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m...clocked 19th fastest time in the prelims of the 1500m at the U.S.A. Junior Outdoor Championships (4:40.61) but did not advance to the final...finished 10th in the 1500m at the Pac-10 Championships with season-best 4:31.71...placed fourth at the ASU Invite (4:35.88) and sixth at the Oregon Invite (4:31.71)...recorded personal-best in the 800m (2:13.35), placing fourth at the UA/NAU Double Dual...owned ASU's top 3000m time of the season (10:02.13)... 2002 Indoor: Did not compete... 2001 XC: Lone freshman to compete on ASU's starting seven...team's fifth-highest finisher at the NCAA Championships (205th, 23:08) and West Region (34th, 22:39.4)...clocked season-best 6,000m time of 22:02.7 at the Pac-10 Championships, finishing as the team's fourth-highest finisher (22nd)...ASU's third-best finisher in first collegiate meet, placing 15th (5,000m-19:10.4) at the UC Irvine Invitational...placed 50th at the Roy Griak Invitational (22:03) and 65th at the NCAA Pre-Meet (22:34).

High School: A 2001 graduate of Hilltop High School (Chula Vista, Calif.)...earned four letters in track, cross country and soccer...three-time CIF and Metro League champion in cross country (`98-'00)...four-time Metro League Runner of the Year (`98-'01)...as a senior, won CIF titles in both the 1600m and 3200m...at the California state meet, placed fifth in the 1600m and fourth in the 3200m...also won 1600m CIF title as a junior...as a senior set Metro League records in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m and set the Mt. Carmel Invitational meet record in the 3200m.

Personal: Majoring in psychology...parents are Dennis and Nancy Davila...sister Natalie played field hockey at Cal...born July 26, 1983...full name Desiree Nicole Davila.

Personal Bests
800: 2:10.21
1,500: 4:28.55
5,000: 16:17.45
10,000: 36:52.48

In NCAA Championship Meets
2004 Cross Country - 21:15.0 - 41st
2004 Outdoor 5,000m (prelims) - 17:31.7 - 23rd
2003 Cross Country - 20:50.8 - 44th *
2003 Outdoor 5,000m (finals) - 16:30.3 - 10th *
2002 Cross Country - 21:37.8 - 118th
2001 Cross Country - 23:08.0 - 205th
* Indicates All-America honors attained

Courtesy Arizona State and USATF