Nov. 9, 2005

Dayton, OH - The University of Dayton cross country program heads to Bloomington, IN on November 12 for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. This is the qualifying event for the NCAA Championship to be held November 21 in Terre Haute, IN.

On the women's side, freshman Amy Kempf (Ft. Wayne, IN) has lead the team for much of the year. She has either been first or second Flyer in every race she has run, and her best time of the year, an 18:54 at the Greater Louisville Classic was good enough for the second fastest time of the season. She was also the first Flyer across the line at the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Another standout has been junior Dianne Striebel (Centerville, OH). She has been the first Flyer across the line twice, and she also won the Dayton River Corridor Half Marathon, which is a 13.1 mile event.

Other harriers making a name for themselves include freshmen Anne Oltman (Clarkston, MI), Jacqueline Jaworek (Cincinnati, OH), and Ellen Nienhaus (Cincinnati, OH), sophomore Corey Fullenkamp (Versailles, OH) and junior Meg Watkins (Belair, MD). Fullenkamp has run three of the fastest 15 times this year for the Flyers and Jaworek and Oltman have each run two of the fastest 15 times. Watkins has finished in the top seven runners for UD in five of her six races the season, and Nienhaus has finished as one of the first seven Flyers across the line twice in her short collegiate career.

The men's team is led by freshman phenomenon Mike Andersen (Milford, MI), who won the Atlantic 10 Outstanding Rookie of the Year award by virtue of his ninth place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship on October 29. Andersen has been the first Flyer across the finish line in every race of his career, and has already set the best 8K time ever by a UD harrier with a time of 25:06 at the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Also running well heading into the NCAA Great LakesRegional for the Flyers are juniors Brian Gilchrist (Novi, MI) and Eric Contreras (Centerville, OH). Gilchrist was the second Flyer at the Atlantic 10 Championships and Contreras has been a scoring runner or defensive specialist in every one of his starts this year.

Other youngsters who have made their presence felt are freshman Matt Peters (West Chester, OH) and sophomores Billy Przybyla (Centerville, OH), Daniel Sammons (Johnstown, OH) and Michael Connolly (Strongsville, OH). All of these runners either scored or were a defensive specialist at the Atlantic 10 Championship, and Peters has the distinction of being one of the first seven Flyers across the finish line in each of his college starts.

The Flyers appear to be set up rather well for the next few years, on both sides of the course. With all of the young talent on the men's and women's side and all of the experienced veterans to lead them, the Flyers look to be at the forefront of the Atlantic 10 for years to come.