Oct. 31, 2010

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men and women’s cross country squads will see how far they’ve come this season, Monday, at the Conference USA Cross Country Championships in Tulsa, Okla., at Indian Springs Country Club.

The first 21 men and women to cross the finish line at the conference championships will be named to the All-C-USA first (1-7), second (8-14), and third (15-21) teams. East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, Tulane, Tulsa and UTEP each have a men's and women's team, while SMU, Southern Miss UAB and UCF have women's teams only.

The championships will feature the women's 5K race at 9 a.m. CDT, to be followed by the men's 8K race at 10 a.m. Following the completion of the men's event, team and individual awards will be distributed.

For the University of Memphis, team success will be heavily influenced by the individual success of freshman James Maglasang, who has led the Tigers in every meet in 2010. Maglasang’s successes include a win at the Rhodes Invite and three top-10 finishes.

Sophomore Robert Skinner, who moved up to distance running after being a middle distance runner during his first year of track and field, has developed into a reliable second runner behind Maglasang, highlighted by his 17th-place finish at the Rhodes Invite.

Memphis will need to have successful days from seniors Joe Coneo, Curtis Gibbs and Guy Hudson, sophomores Abdi Guleed and Trent Scott and freshmen Darrik Turner and Zach Turner to solidify the three-through-six runners.

The women’s team will have to have strong days from both of their talented freshmen. Jenny Johnston and Ellen Kildal each have top-10 runs this season and have split the duties of being the Lady Tigers top runners. Both will have to have their best runs in order for Memphis to be competitive as a team.

Junior Jasmine Darden was ninth at the Rhodes Invite, and coach Doug Clark would love to have her join Kildal and Johnston in the top-10 at the C-USA Championships.

Sophomore Louisa Lingley and freshmen Ida Fillingsnes, Alisha Fitch, Laura Hill and Nandia Taylor will have to solidify the back end of the Lady Tiger running rotation at this meet in order for Memphis to improve upon last season’s 11th-place conference finish.