Aug. 30, 2007

DAYTON, Ohio - With most fall sports already in full swing, the Dayton Flyer men's and women's cross country programs will take to the course for the first time in 2007 on Saturday, September 1. The cross country teams are set to kick off the season with the ninth annual Flyer 5K in Kettering, Ohio.

The UD men find themselves looking to build on an eighth place finish at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships last season, while the women are hopeful to improve on a ninth place showing.

Both programs were relatively young last season, which gives both coaches reason to expect improvement this fall. When asked about the team's chances to improve, women's head coach, Ann Alyanak, said the Flyers will be more competitive and hope to break into the top five in the Atlantic 10 in 2007.

"We will definitely build on our finish," said Alyanak, who enters her third year coaching the Flyers. "We were not happy with a ninth place finish last year and we have bigger goals for this year. I see us running much better this season."

Standout sophomores Kristin Terry, UD's Most Valuable Runner, and Alex Miles, the team Rookie of the Year, will return for the Flyers. Alyanak also adds three freshmen to the roster including Jacylnn Cooney, Liz Coorey, and Maureen Bulgrin. "The freshmen have looked great in practice and I believe they are going to push the upperclassmen and make huge contributions to the team," said Alyanak.

A preseason conference poll projects the women's squad to repeat last year's ninth place finish, but Alyanak believes there will be significant improvement in 2007.

On the men's side, after finishing eighth out of 14 teams in last season's conference meet, the squad was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 in `07. Head coach Rich Davis, who enters his eleventh season at the helm of the Flyers, is optimistic the team will crack into the top half of the A-10 this season.

Davis will lead a veteran team with seven upperclassmen on the roster.

Mike Andersen, a junior from Milford, Michigan, will play a pivotal role if Dayton is to crack the top five at the conference meet. Andersen, a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and 2005 Conference Rookie of the Year, finished third overall at the 2006 Conference Championships. After being sidelined during the spring track season due to injury Andersen will resume his quest to qualify for the NCAA 10K Cross Country Championships. The junior fell just 25 seconds short of qualification as a sophomore.

Junior Matt Peters will also be counted on to shoulder a heavier load after the departure of graduated senior Eric Contreras. Contreras, the two-time defending Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year, finished second for the Flyers at every meet in 2006.

The twin tandem of Matt Lemon and Chris Lemon, along with freshmen Cory McGoldrick, Thomas Anderson, and Ryan Shirley are also expected to add to the competitiveness of the pack. During their senior year in high school Matt Lemon, Chris Lemon, and McGoldrick placed fifth, sixth, and 12th, respectively in the 2006 Ohio High School Division I State Cross Country Championships. Anderson competed in Georgia's High School State Track Championships, and Shirley qualified for the Southwest Ohio High School Regional in both cross country and track.

"This influx of proven talent to our team makes predicting the order of our top seven runners at any meet virtually impossible," said head coach Rich Davis. "An expected low time spread between our first and fifth man is how this group will enhance the 2007 squad's performances," he added.

The Flyers are in action on Saturday at Kettering Park for the team's lone home meet of the year. The Flyer 5K is set to begin with the men's race at 10:45 followed by the women's race at 11:15.