GOLDEN SUNS FINISH IN 16TH PLACE AT SATURDAY'S
BROOKS/MEMPHIS TWILIGHT INVITATIONAL

        MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Arkansas Tech Women’s Cross Country completed its fourth meet of the 2006 season here Saturday with a 16th place finish out of 24 teams at the Brooks/Memphis Twilight Classic.

Tech scored 470 points at the 5,000-meter race and finished 12 points in front of 17th place Mississippi College (482 points) and 89 points behind 15th place University of Tennessee-Martin (381 points). Harding won the meet with 40 points, while Missouri-Rolla was second with 67 points and Western Kentucky finished third with 74 points.

“I was pleased with the way our team ran, as everyone ran personal bests at this meet,” Tech Cross Country Coach Tom Aspel said. “Despite our team’s finish, we ran well against strong competition.”

Leading the way for Tech was sophomore Brianna Greene (Harrison, Ark.), who finished in 89th place overall after running a career-best time of 20:30.83. The time was Tech’s second-best of the season in a 5K race.

Arkansas-Little Rock’s Whitney Kerth won the meet’s individual title after running a time of 17:18.77. Western Kentucky’s Janet Jesang ran second with a time of 17:21.66 and Missouri State’s Kristin Wolkey finished third with a time of 17:23.67.

Other finishers for Tech behind Greene were freshman Melissa Pollreis (Gravette, Ark.), who finished 101st overall after running a time of 20:52.44, while junior Jessica Miller (Van Buren, Ark.) ran a season-best time of 21:02.91. Pollreis’ was running her first collegiate meet after finally being cleared for competition by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Pollreis’ twin sister, Michelle Pollreis, was the next Tech finisher as she ran a time of 22:10 to finish in 129th place. Freshman Jessica Jervis (Cabot, Ark.) finished in 133rd place after running the 5K race in a time of 22:18.57 and junior Molly Fleming (Cabot, Ark.) ran a career-best time of 25:57.18 to finish in 179th place.

Tech will closeout its regular season meet schedule next Saturday when they will compete in the Chile Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., hosted by the University of Arkansas. The Chile Pepper is one of the nation’s premier cross country meets.

           Complete Brooks/Memphis Twilight Classic Results  

           -- Tech Athletics --