MU Cross Country Set for Season Opener at Phoenix Open

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's and women's cross country teams begin the 2019 season on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Phoenix Open hosted by the University of Green Bay.

The women's 5k race will begin at 10 a.m. and the men's 5k race is set for 10:30 a.m.

The meet will take place at Cofrin Memorial Arboretum, a course that forms a natural boundary of 290 acres encircling the Green Bay campus. MU has never competed at the Phoenix Open previously.

Interim head coach Sean Birren, who enters his first season as the man in charge, will send 14 women and 21 men compete in Saturday's opener.

UPPERCLASSMEN VETERANS LEAD BY EXAMPLE:
The men's team chose fifth-year senior Brad Eagan and senior Daniel Pederson as its captains. Eagan, who redshirted last season, posted three top-25 finishes in 2017. Holding five all-time school records in track and field, Eagan was a part of the record-breaking DMR team (9:49.05; No. 1 all-time at MU).

Pederson, a three-time NCAA Great Lakes Regional qualifier, has finished in the top-10 at the BIG EAST Championships in each of the past two seasons. He's the first-ever Golden Eagle runner to accomplish that feat.

Senior Caitlin McGauley and junior Emma Moravec are set to lead the women's side. McGauley tallied two top-20 performances and earned a 33^rd-place finish at the BIG EAST Championships last season, finishing second on MU behind only Mary Hanson. Moravec competed in five meets last fall and notched two top-25 finishes. She also took 51^st overall at the 2018 BIG EAST Championships.

SUCCESSFUL FINISH TO 2018:
The Marquette University cross country teams ended the 2018 season successfully. The men's team turned in their best-ever finish (fourth) at the BIG EAST Championships, and for the second-straight year, had two All-BIG EAST honorees. The MU women took sixth at the BIG EAST Championships, paced by senior Mary Hanson's 28^th-place finish. The women's team had five top-50 finishers.

Rising senior Daniel Pederson nearly matched his eighth-place finish from 2017, taking ninth place overall. Jon Klaiber, whose eligibility expired after last season, used a strong kick at the end to place 14th overall and earn All-BIG EAST honors for the first time.

As a team, the Golden Eagle men registered their lowest score and highest finish in a BIG EAST meet, winning the tie-breaker over Providence to place fourth with 117 points. Senior Ryan Burd was two spots and three seconds away from a 20th-place finish, which would have earned Marquette a third All-BIG EAST performer for the first time.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
Senior Caitlin McGauley: "I know we have a young team, but we are a motivated group and we have an opportunity to pick it up in the back half of our top seven. With the help of some newcomers, I think we can have a great season and really make a splash at the BIG EAST Championships."

Senior Brad Eagan: "I'm very excited about the group of guys we have here. We're only missing one guy in our top seven from last year (Jon Klaiber) and we have a lot of confidence coming off our highest finish ever at the BIG EAST Championships last season. We're all healthy and ready to go after a great summer of training."

Interim Head Coach Sean Birren: "The seniors have been great in helping to ease my transition to head coach. There's a reason they were put in a leadership position and they've stepped up. Overall, the talent is here, and we're poised to take some steps forward when we get to the conference and regional championships."

UP NEXT:
After Saturday's meet, the team will gear up for the Badger Classic at UW-Madison on Friday, Sept. 14. MU is set to compete in six more meets leading up the BIG EAST Championships, which will be hosted by MU at the Wayne Dannehl XC Course in Somers, Wisconsin.

The last time MU hosted the BIG EAST Championships was in 2017, when the women's team posted its best conference championships finish since 2005. The men's team also made history, with two earning All-BIG EAST honors and sophomore Daniel Pederson taking the program's first-ever top-10 individual placement, finishing eighth.

Keep up with the Marquette cross country program through social media by following on Twitter (@MUTFXC) and Instagram (@MUTFXC) and `liking' on Facebook (/MUTFXC).

List of Marquette Entries:

Women:
Sophie Bolich
Anna Buckstaff
Mary Rose Flood
Emily Foley
Mary Hanson
Kate Jochims
Mallory Lafever
Caitlin McGauley
Laurel Moneysmith
Emma Moravec
Lauren Neiheisel
Emily Noone
Anna Penzkover
Kendall Pfrimmer

Men:
Augie Beyer
Patrick Bruch
Ryan Burd
Patrick Burns
Matt Cavanaugh
Jadon Conroy
Brad Eagan
Cade Ferron
Alex Gill
Derek Gross
Jack Hawes
Patrick Hetlage
Johnny Hyland
Jordan Janusiak
Matt Moravec
Daniel Pederson
Danny Peterson
Stephen Poorten
Paolo Tiongson
Joshua Urban
Greg Van Hollen