The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Cross Country Team Set For C-USA Championship
10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 31, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB cross country team heads to Memphis this Saturday to compete for the title at the 2008 Conference USA Cross Country Championship.
After three weeks off from competition, the Blazers are looking to recapture the conference crown after winning it all in 2006. Last year, UAB finished fourth.
"We are going to line up to try to win," said head coach Ray Stanfield. "We are going to have to really run good. It's going to be a battle"
The competition will be tough, as Rice and SMU are nationally ranked at No. 20 and No. 26, respectively. Tulsa is ranked sixth in the midwest region and returns with last year's individual champion Alex Becker. UAB enters the championship ranked sixth in the south region.
On the season, the Blazers have finished no worse than third, including capturing the Walt Disney Cross Country Classic Championship on Oct. 11. Sophomore Stephanie Gammon has lead the way for UAB with three top-10 finishes in four meets and junior Kristina Olsen has two top-10 finishes on the season.
"Stephanie and Kristina are running well," Stanfield said. "We're all running well. The last few workouts have been good."
The championship is being held at the University of Memphis' Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The course will be the same one the Blazers saw when they competed at the Memphis Twilight on Sept. 13. UAB finished third at the meet with Gammon, Olsen and freshman Rhiannon Johns finishing in the top-20.
"We know the course," said Stanfield. "We know what to expect and we ran pretty good there earlier in the year. We have a positive feeling there and are ready to run."
The race is set to begin at 10 a.m. CT.
