Nov. 14, 2003
AUBURN, Ala. -
The Samford men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the NCAA South Regionals on Saturday, November 15 in Auburn, Ala. The men's 10K race begins at 9:00 a.m. and the women's 6K race will follow at 10:00 a.m. It will be the eighth appearance for both teams in the NCAA Regionals and each had their highest finish in school history last season.
The women finished second at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships two weeks ago and the men placed third.
The women finished 11th in the 2002 NCAA Regionals behind top finishes from then freshman Michelle Brewer and Jessica Brewer. The Bulldog sisters finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the 2003 OVC Championships and garnered First-Team All-OVC Honors. The Bulldogs will have another First-Team All-OVC athlete competing for the women, Lauren Blankenship. Blankenship finished second in the conference meet and was named OVC Female Athlete of the Week three times.
"The women have worked hard all season long and have improved steadily throughout the season," Head Coach Glenn McWaters said. "If we run like we did at the conference meet we should accomplish our goal of finishing in the top 10. The Brewer's and Blankenship have provided healthy competition for each other with all three of them wanting to be the best."
The men, who finished eighth at last year's NCAA Regionals, will be led by First-Team All-OVC, senior Bryan Baddorf. Baddorf finished seventh in the OVC Championships two weeks ago. The Bulldogs will also look for a strong performance from Second-Team All-OVC Chad Johnson, who finished 12th at the OVC race.
"We should have three guys in the top 25 this weekend," McWaters said. "The guys have struggled with illness all season long and if we can finish with a strong performance at the NCAA meet it will leave us with a positive feeling."
The top two teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa on November 24. The top four individuals not on qualifying teams will also advance to the NCAA Championships.
