Laura Tremblay won her first race with her sister. Elizabeth was born four minutes later. The talented twins grew up and led Thompson Valley High School to a pair of state championships before deciding to run together at Colorado.

The Tremblays visited a number of programs before choosing CU. They decided to come to Boulder to compete for Mark Wetmore and because the university was a perfect fit academically -- Laura plans to major in chemical and biological engineering and Elizabeth will major in integrative physiology.

"We were almost set on going to other schools," Laura said. "It would have been weird to be apart."

Despite their love of running, these twins bring different strengths to Wetmore`s cross country and track programs as freshmen.

Laura, who finished second at the state cross country meet last fall, should be a factor on CU`s cross countryteam immediately. She was the first to cross the finish of the 5.8K CU Time Trial earlier this month with a time of 22:52 (fellow freshman Allie McLaughlin was second with the same time).

"A little bit of a surprise," Laura said of her first collegiate performance. "I was happy with what I did. It was really Allie and me that were neck and neck the whole way, but I was a few months younger so I got to the finish line first. It was a nice effort to keep up with a top girl."

Elizabeth will compete in Saturday's Rocky Mountain Shootout on CU's Buffalo Ranch Course, but she plans to redshirt this season and focus on track.

"This first year I'm having problems

getting used to the longer runs and having more mileage," Elizabeth said. "I'm definitely excited for track; the 800-meter workouts have been really nice for me."

The CU women are ranked 20th and the men are sixth in the coaches' poll, which was released Tuesday. The Tremblays are both excited about entering the program just as Jenny Barringer is getting ready to wrap up her storied career in Boulder.

"She's such a good leader and we can learn everything from her because she's been everywhere and done everything and accomplished a lot," Elizabeth said. "She's a great runner. ... I think we should win the Big 12. Our team is so young that it might take a while, but it's there. We'll get there."

Wetmore hasn't announced whether Barringer will compete in the Shootout on Saturday, but there is a good chance everybody's All-American will be in action for what will be her last opportunity to run for CU on its home course.

The women's race begins at 9:15 a.m. and the men's race will follow at 10 a.m.

Protecting Prentup

CU's soccer team, which played a brutal non-conference schedule loaded with ranked opponents, is 6-5 overall but 3-0 in Big 12 play.

The Buffs have defeated Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Iowa State. All three conference games were at home with a final score of 1-0.

"Our non-conference schedule has really helped us out," said Kelly Menachof, who scored the game-winner against the Cyclones on Sunday. "All of the games have been a good test and great preparation for Big 12 play. ... Our focus is to stay on top in the Big 12 and eventually get the Big 12 championship."

CU hosts Oklahoma at 4 p.m. on Friday at Prentup Field before playing the next five Big 12 games on the road, starting with a trip to Baylor on Sunday.

Buffs goalkeeper Kara Linder was named the Big 12's defensive player of the week for the second time this season. Freshman defender Quinn Krier was named the conference's newcomer of the week.

Limping to Lawrence

CU's volleyball team is off to a tough start in Big 12 play at 0-4. The Buffs (5-8 overall) have been swept by Iowa State, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma.

"We have to keep trusting what we are doing, which gets difficult when the results are not what we want them to be, and look for individual accountability to help our team's improvement," first-year head coach Liz Kritza said.

The Buffs play at Kansas tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Notable

The CU women's golf team will host the annual Heather Farr Memorial Tournament next Monday and Tuesday. The event will be contested at the program's new home, the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie. ... The CU men's golf team also returns to action at the Fighting Irish Classic in South Bend, Ind., on Monday and Tuesday. ... CU's tennis team will be split, with athletes competing at the Air Force Invitational and the All-American Championships this weekend.