GWU Set To Host 2006 A-Sun Cross Country Championships Saturday
October 27, 2006 | Cross Country
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Gardner-Webb will host the 2006 Atlantic
Sun Conference Cross Country Championships on campus Saturday
morning, with 10 teams on each side set to compete for the
crown.
Coach Brian Baker's Bulldogs will have a notable home course
advantage, as the hilly terrain will be much different than many of
the courses the A-Sun teams have run on so far this season. For the
past three seasons, the meet has been held on relatively flat
terrain, with the 2003 and 2005 championships being held in Buies
Creek, N.C., and the 2004 championships held in Nashville,
Tenn.
In what basically served as a preview meet, several A-Sun teams
came to Boiling Springs on October 6 to compete in the 2006 GWU
Invitational. ETSU took the men's title and Kennesaw State fended
off Gardner-Webb for second place. Campbell took fourth in that
race, which covered only 6,000m. Saturday's men's race will prove
more challenging, with a traditional 8K distance.
On the women's side, Kennesaw State - the defending A-Sun team
champion - was followed by Campbell and Gardner-Webb in the 4K
race.
Both of the 2005 individual champions return for the 2006 race - as
Campbell's Alicia Voltin and Belmont's Brad Polley - took top
honors at Campbell last season. Valtin has the league's fifth-best
time in the 5K this season to date, running a 18:04.79 in
Louisville, Ky., on September 30. North Florida's Sarah Coghlan and
Amanda Davey have the two best times in the A-Sun, however, running
under 17:25 each at the 2006 Auburn Invitational.
Kennesaw State's Scott Burley has the men's 8K top performance this
season, running a 24:16.90 time at the same Auburn
Invitational.
Gardner-Webb's best 5K time on the women's side the season came
from Michele Milner, as the senior from Aiken, S.C., turned in a
time of 18:36.70 at the Clemson Invitational on September 9.
Gardner-Webb's men got a top time of 25:06.00 from Joshua Hudson on
September 30, at the McAlister's Deli 8K in Greenville, N.C. Lucas
McAneney ran a time of 25:47.00 in that race, good for the
Bulldogs' second-best 8K effort of the season.
The Gardner-Webb men have a gritty, experienced core that should
excel under Saturday's conditions. During the preview meet on
October 6, Hudson took third with a time of 19:22, McAneney took
seventh with a time of 19:44 and Alex Nimmo finished 11th with a
time of 19:58.
The Bulldog women are also capable of running well on their home
course, with Milner, freshman Abby Callahan, senior Katherine
Warden and sophomore Bree Tharpe turning in the best 5K times for
GWU this season.
The women's race starts at 9 am ET Saturday, with the men's race
set to follow at 10 am ET. Log onto GWUSports.com for final results
and other features following the championship races
| 2006 GWU Top Marks (XC) |
