FUKUOKA, JAPAN - In preparation for this weekend's 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, members of Team USA's squad selected team captains during a team meeting on Wednesday.

Athletes earned their places on the Team USA roster at the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships presented by Gleukos held February 18- 19 in New York City.

2004 Olympic Women's Marathon Trials winner Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, Colo.), was selected as the women's long course captain for the second consecutive year by her peers. The reigning two-time U.S. women's cross country long course champion, De Reuck won the individual bronze medal at the 2002 World Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland in helping the U.S. squad win the team silver medal. De Reuck also placed eighth in the long course race at the 2003 World Championships as Team USA took home the team bronze medal.

The 2006 USA Cross Country champion at 4 km Carrie Tollefson (St. Paul, Minnesota) was named the women's short course captain. A two- time national short course champion and 2004 Olympian at 1500 meters, Tollefson cruised to victory in last month's USA Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt Park.

Erin Bedell (Waco, Texas) was named the captain of this year's U.S. women's junior team. Making her second appearance at the World Cross Country Championships after placing 5th in the junior women's race at the USA Cross Country Championships, Bedell was 28th last year in St. Etienne/St. Galmier, France.

On the heels of a 27-second victory in the men's long course race at the USA Cross Country Championships, Ryan Hall (Woodside, Calif.) was selected as the captain of the 12 km squad. Hall recently made his presence known on the world cross country stage by winning the prestigious Chiba Cross Country Meeting on March 19th in only his second attempt running a 12-kilometer harrier race.

2000 Olympian Adam Goucher of Portland, Oregon, who remains the only man to win both the long and short-course national titles in the same year in 2000, was selected as Team USA's men's short-course captain for the second straight year. Goucher emerged victorious at this year's national championships at 4 km, marking the second time he's won the US crown at that distance.

Georgetown University freshman Andrew Bumbalough, who punched his ticket to Fukuoka with his fourth place finish in the USA Cross Country Championships, was selected by his junior men's teammates as captain.

The IAAF World Cross Country Championships will be Webcast in the United States for the first time at www.wcsn.com, giving American fans the chance to watch Team USA live as they compete this weekend. The Webcast will begin at 10:20 p.m. Eastern/7:20 p.m. Pacific on Friday, March 31; at 10:50 p.m. ET/7:50 PT on Saturday, April 1; and continue in the early-morning hours of April 2.

Cost of the Webcast of the World Cross Country Championships is $19.95. Fans also can sign up for the wcsn.com World Athletics pass, which provides access to all 2006 WCSN track and field Webcasts, including 13 European events such as select Grand Prix meets, the 2006 World Athletics Final and 2006 World Cup in Athletics.

For more information on the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, visit www.usatf.org.