Oct. 29, 2009

DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championships, to be held Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Forest Park course on the campus of Saint Louis University.

The 32nd annual Men's Cross Country Championship will begin at 10:00 a.m. CT on the 8,000-meter course. The 21st annual Women's Cross Country Championship will get started at 10:45 a.m.

The Flyers will be led into the big meet this year by junior Chris Lemon. Chris has been the number one male for the Flyers all season and looks poised to contend for the conference's individual crown after placing third as a sophomore. He comes into the meet after a record setting season, in which he broke his own school record twice and was tabbed as a five-time A-10 Performer of the Week.

Matt Lemon and Mike Andersen are also ready to be among the front-runners for the Flyers. Lemon and Andersen have been consistently in the UD top-three all season, and Andersen will be looking to flourish in his final A-10 Championship. Freshman Greg Roeth also looks to have a good showing after cracking the Flyer top-three two weeks ago at NCAA Pre-Nationals and setting a new personal best time of 25:17.

The fifth spot for the team has been in flux this season, as multiple runners have stepped in to grab the final scoring spot. A veteran, Matt Peters, and a newcomer in Jeremy Schiele have been two of the runners who have finished fifth in recent weeks. The Flyers will need strong races from both, as the final spot will be vital to the team's overall success.

The men's team has never won an A-10 Championship before, but enters the meet ranked No. 1 in the conference. Top competitors will include both Duquesne and UMass, who have each had past successes at the conference meet. Last year, Massachusetts edged Duquesne by a single point (75-76) to seize its second title in program history.

The Minutemen are led by senior Jonathan Pierce, who finished ninth-overall at the 2008 championship, while Duquesne junior Mike Stolar anchors his squad and has earned three A-10 Performer of the Week honors this season. He set the Dukes' program record time (24:02) on Oct. 2 at the Paul Short Invitational.

Joining Dayton, UMass and Duquesne in the race will be Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Temple, Xavier, Charlotte and Richmond.

The women's team will be anchored by Maureen Bulgrin. As the team's front runner all-year-long, Bulgrin is among the favorites to capture an individual title as well. She has won three A-10 Performer of the Week honors throughout the season and placed a program-best third last year at the A-10 Championships.

Liz Coorey and Elissa Mason have been in the top-three runners for the women's team throughout the season and will likely figure into the team scoring for the Flyers. Fans can also expect Emily Zimmerman and Lindsey Cummings to run at or near the top-five for UD, and their time's will play a crucial role in winning a championship for the team.

As a team, the women enter the meet ranked second in the A-10 coaches poll. To take the top spot, they will have to compete with many good teams including an impressive Richmond Spiders team.

Richmond claimed its second crown in team competition in 2008 as it outdistanced Charlotte, 48-67, on the 5,000-meter course. It marked the 49ers' second runner-up finish in four seasons.

Pacing the Spiders is senior Jenn Ennis, who was named the A-10 Performer of the Week on Sept. 21 after finishing second overall at the UNC Challenge. Another strong contender for the individual title will be last year's runner-up, Megan Hogan of George Washington. She seeks to become the program's first-ever A-10 cross country individual champion.

Complete results and a recap of the day's action will be available shortly after the race on www.DaytonFlyers.com.