Sept. 16, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University men's and women's cross country teams head south to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Crimson Classic on Saturday, hosted by the University of Alabama.

The teams are coming off a strong opening weekend at the UTC Opener. The women's team picked up where it left off last season, when it won the 2004 Ohio Valley Conference Championships, by finishing first in the meet with 22 points. The men's team tied for fourth in their own race, totaling 120 points.

The Samford women were led by junior Katherine Herring and sophomore Britney Almaguer last weekend, as they finished second and third overall. The top-five finishers for the Bulldogs were in the top seven and the team had two other runners finish in the top ten.

The Samford men were led by freshman Cameron Bean, who finished 13th, while sophomore Drew Anderwald finished 14th . The Bulldogs' top five consisted of three freshmen and two sophomores.

"On Saturday, we will face 10 other schools, three of which are from the SEC," said Samford head coach Glenn McWaters. "This will provide some outstanding competition and help us learn more about our conditioning level. The ladies have had a great summer of training. They appear to be as strong as any team we have had in the past. They should be able to compete really well this weekend. The men are very young. It will take a few more weeks of hard work to build their confidence levels and get them ready for the OVC meet."

Some of the teams the Bulldogs will line up against include Ole Miss, Mississippi State, host Alabama, and cross-town foe UAB (women). The men's team will kick off the meet a 9 a.m., with the women following at 9:45 a.m.