GOLDEN SUNS CROSS COUNTRY SET FOR THIS SATURDAY'S
GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Women’s Cross Country is set to run this coming Saturday, Oct. 21 at the 2007 Gulf South Conference Championship Meet at Veteran’s Park in Hoover, Ala.

The GSC Meet, which is being hosted by the Hoover High School and Spain Park High School Track and Field Booster Clubs, begins with the 11-team, 8-K men’s meet at 9 a.m. and then concludes with the 15-team, 5-K women’s meet, which will begin 30 minutes after the finish of the men’s meet. Following the conclusion of the meet, the conference will hand out its annual cross country awards.

This year’s venue is no stranger to hosting high-profile cross country meets, as Veteran’s Park has hosted the Nike Invitational and Great American Races.

“We’re excited and looking forward to this weekend’s GSC Meet,” Tech Head Coach Tom Aspel said. “All of our training during the season leads into this meet and the NCAA South Regional Meet in two weeks.”

Last season, Tech finished 11th at the GSC Meet as it scored 304 points. Junior Brianna Greene (Harrison, Ark.) was the highest finisher for the Golden Suns as she ran the 5,000-meter course at Sharon Johnston Park in Huntsville, Ala., in a time of 21:03 to finish in 43rd place.

The women’s portion of the meet features 15 schools, including two nationally ranked teams. Harding, the two-time defending GSC champions, enters the meet ranked 23rd in the latest USTFCCCA Top 25 poll and No. 2 in the South Region poll, while Alabama-Huntsville is ranked 24th in the latest Top 25 poll and is third in the South Region poll. In addition to Harding and UAH, West Florida (No. 6), Tech (No. 7) and North Alabama (No. 9) are ranked in this week’s South Region Poll.

“This should be a tremendous meet, we have some outstanding runners and teams in this league,” Aspel added.

          Tech enters the GSC Meet ranked seventh in the South Region Poll and is led by freshman Lauren Karnitz (DeSoto, Kan.). Karnitz has had two Top 15 finishes this season and ran a season-best 19:17.97 at the Memphis Twilight Meet on Oct. 6, to finish in 37th place.  

          Other members of the Golden Suns running at this weekend’s GSC Meet are Greene, junior Molly Fleming (Ward, Ark.), sophomore Melissa Pollreis (Gravette, Ark.), freshman Carrie Sowers (Dardanelle, Ark.), sophomore Elizabeth Thias (Paris, Ark.), freshman Amber Tury (Heber Springs, Ark.) and junior Kayla Waldrup (El Dorado, Ark.).

           -- Tech Athletics --