Cross Country Opens in Chattanooga

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Middle Tennessee's cross country season opens this Friday at the UTC Opener in Chattanooga, Tenn., with head coach Dean Hayes looking at two completely different teams on paper as he begins his 38th year in Murfreesboro. On the men's side, two-time defending Sun Belt champion Geoffrey Lagat, returns. The Kapsabet, Kenya, junior has won the individual conference title the past two seasons, helping the Blue Raiders to a fifth-place team finish at the 2001 Sun Belt Championships in Bowling Green, Ky. Joining Lagat in leading the men's squad is Levi Sybert, a senior from Pemberville, Ohio. Sybert finished 12th at the Sun Belt Championships last season, and no worse than 13th in any of his five races in 2001. "Geoffrey is a tremendous runner in cross country, as well as track," Hayes said. "He is very smart, knows how to start and finish races, and that's very important for any runner." "Sybert is very solid, and runs hard not only in events, but also gives 100 percent in practice," Hayes added. "He is the type of runner we need to help strengthen the program." Junior Anthony McGary returns as well after finishing the 2001 season with four of five finishes in the top 25. The Dallas, Texas, native placed 10th at the Austin Peay Invitational and 20th at the conference championships as a sophomore. "Anthony has good range. He can run anything from the 800m to five miles. He works hard and is very competitive. Anthony improves every year." One newcomer from Kenya, Edwin Koech, looks to contribute immediately after missing much of the spring with an injury. The Lady Raiders hope to make an impact in the Sun Belt Conference this season with an entirely new team. Freshman Trisha DeValcourt looks to lead the upcoming program and contribute immediately to the team. Joining DeValcourt will be freshman Chelsea Taylor, as well as walk-on Tullahoma native Laura Smith, who has a great work ethic. The Lady Raider squad will also see tracksters Kishara George, Nicolette Jarrett and Rosemary Okafor in 2002, as well as the return of Jerkita McClorin, who missed all of last season after running as a freshman in 2000. "The women's squad is all new this year, so we will run a lot of different people in the early-going to get a feel for the team," Hayes said. "Trisha DeValcourt is an excellent runner, and Chelsea Taylor and Laura Smith should really help our cross country program." Both squads will be competing in the Sun Belt for the third season, which Hayes says is a big step up during the cross country season. "The competition in the Sun Belt is a lot tougher than the OVC because there are so many quality teams that are trying to be competitive," he said. "Each team has a lot of depth and that's very important in cross country because not everyone can run a good race every time out." The Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders begin the 2002 campaign in very different situations, but both with the ultimate goal of hoisting the conference championship trophy in November in Denton, Texas. Consistency is the key for both teams, as well as gaining experience as the season progresses. That all begins Friday at 5 p.m. in Chattanooga on the Moccasin Bend course.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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