Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, September 5
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Middle Tennessee
at
UTC Opener
Photo by: Rick Yeatts
Cross Country Readies for Season Opener
9/4/2003 4:04:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
By Nate Rau
For Middle Tennessee Media Relations
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- The Middle Tennessee Blue Raider and Lady Raider cross country squads begin their season Friday in Chattanooga. The Blue Raiders were picked fourth and the Lady Raiders 10th in the Sun Belt coaches preseason poll released this week. Coming off a third place finish in the Sun Belt conference in 2002, the Middle Tennessee men's cross country team is gearing up for another finish in the upper echelon of the league. To do so, the squad will have to overcome the loss of four of its top five runners. The one returning runner is senior Geoffrey Lagat, who finished second at the conference meet a year ago. Between cross country and as a distance runner for the Middle Tennessee track team, Lagat has proven to be the top distance runner in the conference. Lagat won the conference cross country meet as a freshman and sophomore before a stress fracture injury from the spring of 2002 slowed him last year. He's back at full-strength this year and looking to regain his crown. "Lagat is just light years ahead of last year," head coach Dean Hayes said. "He didn't get practicing until two weeks before the season started (last year) and he got better each meet, but eventually he just ran out of time. He couldn't catch up. "He's really doing well this year and should be the best distance runner in the league." Joining Lagat this year will be a group of newcomers, led by incoming freshman David Hughes, the Class A-AA cross country champion in the state of Tennessee. "He's a multiple state champion in high school and his only concern is a lack of experience, but I think he'll be a big help to us," Hayes said. Murfreesboro's Zach Wood (Oakland HS) is another freshman who will be looking to score points for the Blue Raiders this fall. "Western Kentucky is still the favorite in the conference, but we will definitely challenge for the top three. If a couple of our incoming runners improve, we could finish even higher." Joining Hughes and Wood in the group looking to replace last year's group are sophomore Carlos Gonzales and freshman Anthony Carufe. The x-factor for the Blue Raiders could be freshman Tarik Thabet, a sophomore who Hayes was counting on to be one his top three runners before he had ankle surgery. Thabet won't be ready for the start of the season, but could become a factor at the conference championships. Picked to finish fourth in the SBC by the league's coaches, the Blue Raiders are banking on the continual improvement of their newcomers. If that happens, a higher finish certainly isn't out of the question. "We were picked to finish fourth, which I understand because we lost four of our top runners," Hayes said. "We're definitely going to shoot for the top three. A lot will depend on how our new guys improve and how Lagat recovers from the injury." Hayes openly refers to the 2003 Lady Raiders as an unknown commodity. At most, only one runner, junior Erin Russell, will have run for the Blue Raiders previously. As such, Middle Tennessee was picked to finish 10th in the Sun Belt Conference this year. "We're inexperienced and full of first-year runners, so it's hard to know what to expect going into the season," Hayes said. "Everybody has been training on their own and working hard. It will take a few meets to be able to see where stand." Leading the way for the Blue Raiders this year is expected to be Colorado-transfer Lauren Milbourn, who did not run at CU last year, redshirting instead. Russell leads a group of runners behind Milbourn. Joining Russell are freshmen Kim Alsobrook, Candis Montgomery and Jo Marie Thaggard. "Russell ran track for us two years ago and did a nice job, so I think I can rely on her," Hayes said, adding that his trio of freshmen has the talent to help the team finish higher than expected in the conference. "Obviously, we're very inexperienced this year," Hayes said. "It will certainly be interesting to see how we develop throughout the year. At this point, the group is a completely unknown commodity." Both squads open the season Friday at the UTC Opener at Moccasin Bend in Chattanooga, Tenn. Nate Rau is a Middle Tennessee student and can be reached at naterau997@yahoo.com.
For Middle Tennessee Media Relations
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- The Middle Tennessee Blue Raider and Lady Raider cross country squads begin their season Friday in Chattanooga. The Blue Raiders were picked fourth and the Lady Raiders 10th in the Sun Belt coaches preseason poll released this week. Coming off a third place finish in the Sun Belt conference in 2002, the Middle Tennessee men's cross country team is gearing up for another finish in the upper echelon of the league. To do so, the squad will have to overcome the loss of four of its top five runners. The one returning runner is senior Geoffrey Lagat, who finished second at the conference meet a year ago. Between cross country and as a distance runner for the Middle Tennessee track team, Lagat has proven to be the top distance runner in the conference. Lagat won the conference cross country meet as a freshman and sophomore before a stress fracture injury from the spring of 2002 slowed him last year. He's back at full-strength this year and looking to regain his crown. "Lagat is just light years ahead of last year," head coach Dean Hayes said. "He didn't get practicing until two weeks before the season started (last year) and he got better each meet, but eventually he just ran out of time. He couldn't catch up. "He's really doing well this year and should be the best distance runner in the league." Joining Lagat this year will be a group of newcomers, led by incoming freshman David Hughes, the Class A-AA cross country champion in the state of Tennessee. "He's a multiple state champion in high school and his only concern is a lack of experience, but I think he'll be a big help to us," Hayes said. Murfreesboro's Zach Wood (Oakland HS) is another freshman who will be looking to score points for the Blue Raiders this fall. "Western Kentucky is still the favorite in the conference, but we will definitely challenge for the top three. If a couple of our incoming runners improve, we could finish even higher." Joining Hughes and Wood in the group looking to replace last year's group are sophomore Carlos Gonzales and freshman Anthony Carufe. The x-factor for the Blue Raiders could be freshman Tarik Thabet, a sophomore who Hayes was counting on to be one his top three runners before he had ankle surgery. Thabet won't be ready for the start of the season, but could become a factor at the conference championships. Picked to finish fourth in the SBC by the league's coaches, the Blue Raiders are banking on the continual improvement of their newcomers. If that happens, a higher finish certainly isn't out of the question. "We were picked to finish fourth, which I understand because we lost four of our top runners," Hayes said. "We're definitely going to shoot for the top three. A lot will depend on how our new guys improve and how Lagat recovers from the injury." Hayes openly refers to the 2003 Lady Raiders as an unknown commodity. At most, only one runner, junior Erin Russell, will have run for the Blue Raiders previously. As such, Middle Tennessee was picked to finish 10th in the Sun Belt Conference this year. "We're inexperienced and full of first-year runners, so it's hard to know what to expect going into the season," Hayes said. "Everybody has been training on their own and working hard. It will take a few meets to be able to see where stand." Leading the way for the Blue Raiders this year is expected to be Colorado-transfer Lauren Milbourn, who did not run at CU last year, redshirting instead. Russell leads a group of runners behind Milbourn. Joining Russell are freshmen Kim Alsobrook, Candis Montgomery and Jo Marie Thaggard. "Russell ran track for us two years ago and did a nice job, so I think I can rely on her," Hayes said, adding that his trio of freshmen has the talent to help the team finish higher than expected in the conference. "Obviously, we're very inexperienced this year," Hayes said. "It will certainly be interesting to see how we develop throughout the year. At this point, the group is a completely unknown commodity." Both squads open the season Friday at the UTC Opener at Moccasin Bend in Chattanooga, Tenn. Nate Rau is a Middle Tennessee student and can be reached at naterau997@yahoo.com.
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