GOLDEN SUN RUNNERS COMPETED LAST WEEKEND AT
WEST FLORIDA'S PRE-NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY MEET

        PENSACOLA, Florida – Arkansas Tech Women’s Cross Country continued its season here this past Saturday as the Golden Suns ran at the UWF Pre-National Cross Country Meet held at the Escambia County Equestrian Center. The meet was a prelude to the 2006 NCAA National Championship meet, which will be held on this same course on Nov. 18.

Tech competed as individuals at the meet as they didn’t have enough competitors to run as a team due to injuries to three of its top runners. Junior Aoife Cooke (Youghal, Ireland), sophomore Kayla Waldrup (El Dorado, Ark.) and redshirt freshman Eimear O’Brien (Sligo, Ireland) sat out the meet due to injuries. 

On Monday, two days after Saturday’s meet, Tech Cross Country Coach Tom Aspel announced that both Cooke and Waldrup will be forced to sit out the rest of the season due to injuries. In addition, Aspel said that he expects O’Brien to return to action for the Chile Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., on Oct. 14.

Sophomore Brianna Greene (Harrison, Ark.) was the highest placing Golden Sun runner at the UWF Pre-Nationals as she ran the 6,000-meter course in a time of 25:53 to finish in 48th place.

The University of Tampa won the meet as they scored 61 points. Northern Kentucky finished in second place with 62 points and West Florida was third with 94 points.

Florida Southern’s Jael Koech was the women’s medalist as she ran the 6K course in a time of 22:06. Tampa’s Laura Woznicki finished in second place after running a time of 22:21.

In addition to Greene, freshman Jessica Jervis (Cabot, Ark.) was the next Tech finisher as she ran a time of 27:41 to finish in 67th place, while junior Jessica Miller (Van Buren, Ark.) ran a time of 29:39 to finish in 72nd place and junior Molly Fleming (Cabot, Ark.) finished right behind Miller in 73rd place after running the course in a time of 32:22.

The Golden Suns will continue its season on Saturday when they compete in the Brooks/Memphis Twilight Classic in Memphis, Tenn. The 3-mile meet will begin at 8:30 p.m.

           -- Tech Athletics --