MOBILE, Ala. – Though it won’t carry a boatload of experience to the conference meet, the University of South Alabama cross country team will bear a noticeably large chip on its shoulder this weekend when it travels to Bowling Green, Ky., site of the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships.
 
“On both the men’s and women’s side, we will have the fewest returning athletes of any team,” USA head cross country coach Mike Barbee said.
 
According to Barbee, the Jaguars will rely heavily on the experience of four key runners — Tori Lawson, Magrina Chepkoech, Kendra Lowe and Alex Shields — the only four student-athletes on both the men’s and women’s teams to have previously competed in Sun Belt postseason competition.
 
Lawson and Shields were both awarded Freshman-of-the-Year honors at the 2009 conference championships following finishes of fifth and 13th, respectively. Chepkoech, a graduate student, claimed fifth in 2008 and ninth in ’09, earning all-conference honors both years. Lowe ran as the Lady Jags' fifth runner in 2009 - part of a seventh-place team finish.
 
Last season, Lawson recorded her second all-conference performance, completing the 5k course fifth in 20:13.86 to lead the Lady Jags to a fifth-place finish, while the men took third on the 8k championship course. Neither Chepkoech nor Shields competed in last year’s championships.
 
The most noticeable factor for the Jaguars this season has been a lack of experience on both the men’s and women’s squads, as only three student-athletes have donned USA red, white and blue prior to this fall; however, Barbee said his team’s current level of fitness has peaked and the success of the Jags’ four regular-season meets will play a vital role in the culmination of the 2011 campaign.
 
“The last 10 days of training indicate our fitness is at its best yet, and how well each student-athlete utilizes the experiences of the fall’s first four competitions will be crucial,” Barbee explained. “I feel we’ve been able to taper the efforts lately to keep from depleting the athletes like we did for the first six weeks of the fall, which should result in a group of athletes physically prepared to compete at their best level yet.”
 
Of the four meets during the regular season, the women’s team won both the Azalea City Classic and Choctaw Open, while also sharing the top spot with Auburn at the Troy Opener. Lawson led the Lady Jags in all four meets and was rewarded with SBC Runner-of-the-Week honors after her individual victory at Azalea on Sept. 17.
 
The men also won at Azalea, and placed second at both Troy and the Choctaw Open. Avon Lake, Ohio, native, Justin Housley has emerged as the men’s top point-scorer this season, recording two individual collegiate victories at Azalea and the Choctaw Open.
 
The SBC Championships predicted order of finish — as voted on by each of the conference’s 11 coaches — featured Western Kentucky as a favorite to sweep both the men’s and women’s titles on Saturday. On the men’s side, defending champion Arkansas-Little Rock followed closely at second, with Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe taking third and fourth, respectively. The South Alabama men were picked to finish fifth.
 
For the women, Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State garnered 97 points each to tie for second, followed by UALR and Middle Tennessee. The Lady Jags were predicted to take seventh place.
 
Western Kentucky will host the championships at Kereiakes Park on Saturday, with the men’s 8k slated to begin at 10 a.m. followed by the women’s 5k one hour later.
 
Results will be posted immediately following the meet on the Jaguar athletics website.
 
Men’s Predicted Order of Finish
( ) – denotes first place votes
 
1. WKU (7) – 115 points
2. UALR (3) – 111 points
3. Middle Tennessee (1) – 102 points
4. Louisiana-Monroe – 79 points
5. South Alabama – 75 points
6. North Texas – 57 points
7. Arkansas State – 49 points
8. FIU – 45 points
9. Florida Atlantic – 42 points
10. Troy – 31 points
11. Louisiana-Lafayette – 20 points
 
Women’s Predicted Order of Finish
( ) – denotes first place votes
 
1. WKU (10) – 120 points
2. Florida Atlantic (1) – 97 points
2. Arkansas State – 97 points
4. UALR – 87 points
5. Middle Tennessee – 71 points
6. North Texas – 69 points
7. South Alabama – 63 points
8. FIU – 42 points
9. Troy – 32 points
10. Louisiana-Monroe – 27 points
11. Louisiana-Lafayette – 21 points
 
NOTES: Sun Belt men’s teams currently claiming regional rankings include Middle Tennessee (5th, South), Arkansas-Little Rock (7th, South Central), Western Kentucky (9th, Southeast) and Louisiana-Monroe (15th, South Central).
 
For the women, North Texas sits at 10th in the South Central region, followed by UALR at 12th. Western Kentucky moved up two spots in the Southeast regional rankings to 11th.
 
Western Kentucky’s women’s team has claimed five consecutive conferences cross country titles dating back to 2006.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).