10/14/05–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTH ALABAMA
TAKES ITS NO. 9 REGIONAL RANKING TO ARKANSAS FOR THE CHILI PEPPER
INVITATIONAL
CONTACT:
Dwayne Gatlin
Mobile,
Ala. - The South Alabama men's and women's cross country
teams prepare for another tough test this weekend as they travel
to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Chile Pepper Invitational. Much like
the Notre Dame Invitational earlier in the season, the Chile Pepper
looks to be attended by the best teams in the country. The men will
run at the NCAA Championship distance of 10,000m (6.2 miles) at
9:30 a.m. The women will also compete at the championship distance
of 6000m (3.75miles) at 10:30 a.m.
No. 1 men's
team in the nation, Arkansas, according to the Mondo/USCCCA Poll,
will serve as host. No. 6 Arizona, No. 11 Texas-El Paso, and Alabama,
ranked No. 3 in the South Region will also test the Jags. Sun Belt
Conference foes Arkansas-Little Rock and Louisanna-Monroe are scheduled
to compete as well.
South Alabama
juniors Vincent Rono and Tonny Okello each have three top five finishes
this season. Rono won his first collegiate cross country meet at
the Azalea City Classic, placed third at the Notre Dame Invitational
and won the Auburn Invitational, held last weekend. He has been
named Sun Belt Conference Runner of the Week three times this season.
2004 All-American Okello finished second for the second time this
season at the Auburn Invitational.
Harry Larubi,
2004 All-Sun Belt Conference runner, and his brother Stephen, look
to continue improving on their 2005 campaigns. The older Larubi
brother, Harry, has two top 10 finishes in three meets, including
a personal best 24:16 to finish ninth at Auburn. Stephen also ran
a
personal best of 25:33 for the 8K last weekend.
Anthony Murphy
will face a tough task as the team looks to him to be a consistent
fifth man. Murphy, USA's 400m record holder is in his first collegiate
season of cross country. Murphy was one of nine Jags to run a personal
best at the Auburn Invitational (27:55).
Senior captain
Jeremiah Carter has battled injury throughout the season, and was
forced to sit out last weekend.
The Lady Jags
also continue to improve every meet. The young and mostly inexperienced
team won their first meet, the Azalea City Classic on Sept 16. and
have posted quality finishes of 24th at Notre Dame and 21st at Auburn.
Sophomore Cassandra
Perkins has topped the Lady Jags finishes each week this season.
After posting a personal best of 20:06 for 5K at the Azalea City
Classic, Perkins has continued to run, posting times of 20:23 at
Notre Dame and an incredible breakthrough performance of 18:39 at
Auburn. Last year, her personal best was just 21:38.
Junior co-captain
Ajoke Odumosu and senior Yvonne Li are finding their stride this
season. Odumosu, who missed three cross country meets last season
due to injury, has bettered her 5K from the previous year (21:02)
three times (20:25 at the Azalea City Classic and 20:31 at Notre
Dame and 19:26 at Auburn). Li, who also missed the final two meets
last
year, improved her season's best to 19:50 at Auburn last weekend.
Freshmen Jessica
Miller and Lindsey White continue to improve in their first season
at the collegiate level. Both have scored in all three meets for
the Lady Jags and are posting quality 5K times. Miller, a native
of Uruguay, placed third on the team at Auburn, running a time of
19:39, while Tate High School (Fla.) product White finished in a
season's best of 21:31 last weekend.
Lauren Lemon,
second of the Lady Jags captains, notched her collegiate best at
the Auburn Invitational with a time of 20:09.
Sophomore Melissa
Womble is showing a vast improvement from her freshman year. The
Ocean Springs, Miss. resident placed seventh on the team at Auburn
in a personal best time of 21:44, improving nearly two minutes from
her freshman year.
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