Cross Country Heads to UTC

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee's cross country teams race for the second week in a row on Friday, this time at the UTC Opener in Chattanooga, Tenn., on the Moccasin Bend Course. Seniors Sara Lunning and Tony Carufe led the teams at last Friday's season-opening event, the Belmont Opener, in Nashville, Tenn. Head coach Dean Hayes said the women did very well with the available runners. "The women ran pretty well, especially with Ashley [Comstock] turning her ankle during warm-ups and Kaitlyn [Hammond] still not ready to race," Hayes said. "I'm hoping Kaitlyn can run this fall, but we'll have to wait and see on that, and Ashley should be back soon, probably for the next race in two weeks." Hayes said everyone last week showed improvement from last year, including a pair of runners who were involved in the hit-and-run car crash in January. "Sara [Lunning] showed some improvement, but Marjorie [Gombert], Tiffany [Sawyer], Ashleigh [Thaler] and Catherine [Chester] all had big improvements from last year, and it was good to see Tiffany and Catherine out there racing after all of the rehab they've been through the last seven months. "Plus Sangau Zamzam ran well, very comparable to our No. 3 runner from last season. The women's team is shaping up very well, so long that continue to work hard everyday with coach [Keith] Vroman." The men's team has far less depth this season, with Carufe and junior Matt Young the only upperclassmen on the squad. Hayes says the group has a long way to go, but certainly has the potential to reach the team's goal. "Carufe ran pretty well and [freshman Phillip] Benevides was good for his first collegiate race," Hayes said. "Matt Young also did well. The group is coming along. The goal is to win the Sun Belt and we're building for that." The women's race Friday begins at 4:45 p.m. CT, with the men's race approximately 30 minutes later. Full results may be found at gomocs.com.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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