Cross Country Teams Kick Off 2006 Seasons on Friday

Aug. 31, 2006

MILWAUKEE -- The Marquette men's and women's cross country teams get their 2006 seasons underway tomorrow afternoon at the Illini Open, in Champaign, Ill.

The women's four-kilometer race will start at 5 p.m., followed by the men's six-kilometer race at 5:30 p.m.

"We are starting the season a week earlier than we have in the past, but the meet is fairly low-key, with no team scores and a shorter race distance than most of our races." said head coach Dave Uhrich. "Most of the team has had a good summer of training and have looked very good in the early season workouts, so we are looking forward to competing again. This meet isn't as important as the later meets, but it is nice to start the season off on a good note and build some confidence for the bigger meets to come."

On the women's side, the Golden Eagles are looking to extend their streak of consecutive NCAA Championship appearances. MU has qualified for the last six national championship races. Leading the way for the women this season will be the one-two tandem of senior Michaela Courtney and junior Cassie Peller. Both athletes had solid cross country seasons last year, consistently finishing among MU's top runners.

But both athletes made their breakthroughs on the track. Courtney set a new Marquette indoor mile record (4:43.07) en route to earning a spot in the field of the event at the NCAA Indoor Championship. Outdoors, both Courtney and Peller placed in the 1,500m and achieved personal-bests in the NCAA Regional Championship.

Additionally, Marquette returns several veterans from last year's squad, which placed third overall in its first season in the BIG EAST Conference.

Senior Heidi Lindeman was the Golden Eagles' fourth finisher at the NCAA Championship and was consistently a scorer for MU in 2005. Juniors Beth Pollard, Kaitlyn Chambers, Nina Hoppenjan and Colleen Kuenster are other veteran returnees that should challenge for a spot in the top seven.

Newcomers Amanda Beggs, Jayne Grebinski, Maureen Keane, and Anna Weber will also seek to make an immediate impact for the Golden Eagles.

On the men's side, the Golden Eagles are looking to bounce back strong from the 2005 season.

Senior Brent Des Roches returns to the MU roster after redshirting a year ago. He was the team's top finisher in every cross country race as a junior. Des Roches had a solid indoor and outdoor track campaign last season and should peak for the Golden Eagles come championship time in 2006.

In addition to Des Roches, four of MU's top five finishers at the BIG EAST Championship return, giving Uhrich a deep and talented group that have had solid early season workouts.

Senior Jeremy Williams, junior Josh Pinter, and sophomores Kyle Saginus and Drew Craig should all be among the top MU finishers in 2006. Saginus was the team's top finisher at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional last season, while Williams is the team's top returning finisher from the BIG EAST Championship - the Golden Eagles were eighth at the conference championship a season ago.

Additionally, a large group of talented sophomores and junior should challenge for a scoring spot. Sophomores Steve Briggs, Kurt Keuter, and Cody Miles, along with juniors Scott Mueller and Tommy Schmitz have had consistent summers of training. Also look for newcomer Eric Meissner to contribute during the 2006 season.