Photo of Samia Akbar by Victah.

The Women's Long Distance Running Committee of USA Track & Field has announced the team members for the U.S. team, led by 2004 USA 10K road champion Amy Yoder-Begley, that will compete at the Yokohama International Women's Ekiden on Sunday, February 26, in Yokohama, Japan.

The relay teams will consist of six legs each, ranging in distance from 5K to 10K, Team USA is as follows:

Samia Akbar, 24, Herndon, VA. - Third at last fall's USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Rochester, N.Y., Akbar competed for Team USA at the 2005 Beijing International Women's Ekiden last April as well as the inaugural North American, Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships last March in Orlando, Fla. She has personal bests of 16:20 for 5000 meters and 33:38 for 10,000 meters.

Erika Aklufi, 29, Santa Monica, CA - The leading member of USATF National Club Cross Country Championship winning club team See Jane Run, Aklufi finished second just in front of Akbar in Rochester. She was also a teammate of Akbar's at the NACAC Cross Country Championships and the Beijing Ekiden. Aklufi has personal bests of 16:17 for 5000 meters and 33:56 for 10,000 meters.

Annie Bersagel, 22, Lakeville, MN - The newest member of USA Distance Center, Team USA Minnesota, Bersagel recently graduated from Wake Forest University, where she was an eight- time All-American in Cross Country and Track. She was 17th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships last fall and has a best of 33:02 for 10,000 meters.

Stephanie Bylander, 22, Alamosa, CO - Bylander was a member of the U.S. team for the 2005 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Edmonton, Canada, where she was the third finisher for Team USA. An NCAA Division II All-American for Adams State, Bylander has personal bests of 16:14 for 5000 meters and 34:00 for 10,000 meters.

Michelle La Fleur, 33, Savannah, GA - A past member of two U.S. Ekiden relay teams, La Fleur finished tenth at the 2005 USA 20K Championships which earned her a spot on the U.S. team for the 2005 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships. She is a two-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier and five-time NCAA Div. III Champion and fourteen-time All-American.

Sylvia Mosqueda, 39, Los Angeles, CA - The 1988 NCAA 10,000 meter champion, Mosqueda has been one of the top women road racers in the U.S. since 1987, when she won her first major road race at the Philadelphia Distance Run Half-Marathon. Mosqueda has personal bests of 15:32 for 5000 meters and 31:54 for 10,000 meters.

Amy Yoder Begley, 28, Kendallville, IN - A 15-time All- American at the University of Arkansas, Yoder Begley was the 2004 USA Women's 10K Champion and was runner-up at the 2005 championships. 2005 also saw her finish seventh in the 5000 meters at the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships and fourth at the USA 5K road championships. She has personal bests of 15:24 for 5000 meters and 32:45 for 10,000 meters.

For more information on the 2006 Yokohama International Women's Ekiden, visit www.USATF.org.