Sept. 28, 2005
Paul Short Invitational
Date: October 1
Location: Bethlehem, Pa.
Course: Goodman Campus at Lehigh University
Teams: Auburn, Appalachian St., Army, Binghamton, Bucknell, Buffalo, Charlotte, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell (women), Davidson, Delaware, Detroit Mercy, Duquesne, George Washington, Georgetown, Heverford College (men), Ithaca (Women), Kutztown (women), La Salle, Lafayette, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Loyola College, Maryland, Monmouth, Navy (women), New Jersey, New York (men), UNC-Wilmington, Penn, Penn State, Pitt (men), Plattsburgh State (men), Princeton (men), Queens (Canada), Rhode Island (women), Richmond, Rutgers (women), Saint Francis (PA), Saint Joesephs, San Diego, Shippensburg (men), Tampa (women), Tennessee (women), UMASS, UMBC, UNC-Greensboro, VMI, Villanova, VCU (men), Va. Intermont (men), Winthrop.
Times: Men's 8K - 9 a.m.
Women's 6K - 9:45 a.m.
Setting the Scene
The Auburn men's and women's cross country teams travel to Bethlehem, Pa., on Saturday, Oct. 1 for the Paul Short Invitational. This is the second straight season Auburn will compete at the event. In 2004, the men's team placed third, while the women finished 10th. Competition will begin at 9 a.m. with the men's 8K, followed by the women's 6K at 9:45 a.m. The event will be held on the Goodman Campus of Lehigh University. This is Auburn's second of four regular season meets.
Northern Exposure
Auburn's trip to Pennsylvania will be the Tigers' only regular season meet outside the Southeast. The only other possible trip outside the Southeast would be Nov. 21 if the Tigers qualify for the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
The Field
The event will feature a large field of 46 men's and 46 women's teams. Lehigh is the host of the invitational. On the women's side No. 8 Villanova is the highest ranked women's team. No. 15 Tennessee and No. 20 Columbia are the other two teams in the FinishLynx Poll released on Sept. 26. Tennessee is the only SEC team competing beside Auburn. On the men's side, Georgetown is ranked 12th, and is the only team ranked in the field according to the USCCCA Poll released Sept. 20. Columbia is also receiving votes. Auburn is the only SEC team competing on the men's side.
The Lineup
Head coach Peter Watson will take the same lineup to Bethlehem, Pa., that he used in the Florida State Invitational. The men will send 11 runners, six of them being seniors. The women will send a squad of eight runners.
Last Time Out
The Tigers opened their 2005 slate at the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. Auburn performed well at the meet, with the men placing second and women placing fourth.
Men
The men placed second with 49 points, 23 behind first-place Florida State. On the men's side, there were 17 teams in the 8K meet. The Tigers placed four of seven runners in the top 15, led by senior Andrew Heath, who finished second with a time of 24:53.00. Sophomore Chris Walsh was the second Tiger across the line, placing fourth with a time of 25:08.71. Florida State's Andrew Lemoncello won the race, with a time of 24:39.51.
Women
The women placed fourth with 122 points, just two points behind third-place Georgia Tech. Senior Angela Homan won the race with a time of 17:38.25. Host school Florida State won the team title with 33 points. Sophomore Megan Karl was the Tigers' second runner to cross the line, finishing 24th. Senior Dawn Morgan finished 26th.
Athlete of the Week
Following her season-opening victory, Angela Homan was selected as the SEC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 20. It was the fourth time in Homan's career that she has received the honors, but the first time since winning the Auburn Invitational on Oct. 11, 2004.
New Era
Peter Watson begins his first season as the coach of the cross country program. Watson takes over for former coach Chris Fox, who was hired as the head track and field coach at Syracuse after three seasons at Auburn. Watson is a 2001 graduate of West Virginia, where he was a four-year letterman on both the track and cross country teams. A native of London, Ontario, Canada, Watson participated in the 2000 and 2001 Canadian National Track and Field Championships. Prior to coming to Auburn, Watson ran professionally, while training in Boulder, Colorado, and Kenya, Africa.
Poll Watching
The men's team dropped one spot from fourth to fifth in the most recent South Region poll released on Sept. 27 by the United States Cross Country Coaches of America (USCCCA). The women's team is not currently ranked.
SEC Championships on the Move
Due to the on-going relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, the SEC decided that it would be in the best interest of everyone if the SEC Cross Country Championships were moved from Baton Rouge, La., to another location. The championships will still be held on Oct. 29, but will take place at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. The event will be hosted by South Carolina.
Homan's a Hit
Angela Homan padded her already impressive resume with a victory to open the season at the Florida State Inv. Homan's win was the ninth of her career and fifth regular season win in a row. In all, Homan has won six of her last seven events and eight of her last 11. In 2004, Homan won every race leading up to the NCAA Championships, where she placed ninth. Homan entered the 2005 season as the back-to-back SEC Champion and two-time All-American. Homan has also been selected as the SEC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year for two consecutive seasons. This season, Homan is bidding to become the first three-time SEC Champion.
Looking Back
The 2004 season was very successful for the Tigers. Both the men's and women's team earned top-five finishes in the conference and each team placed one individual in the NCAA Championships. The men's team won one event and finished no worse than fourth in all five events. The women's team picked up one victory, while earning top-five finishes in four of five events. Individually, senior Angela Homan added to her already crowded trophy case by earning All-America honors and winning the SEC and NCAA South Regional Championships. On the men's side, sophomore Chris Walsh became only the second male in Auburn history to qualify for the NCAA Championships, placing 73rd. Walsh's success helped him earn SEC Male Freshman of the Year honors.
Keystone State Native
The Paul Short Invitational will be a rare homecoming for Auburn junior Patrick Philbin. Philbin is the lone Pennsylvania native on the Tigers' team. Philbin is from Mechanicsburg, Pa., where he attended Cedar Cliff high school. Philbin was the Tigers' third finisher at the Florida State Inv., placing 13th with a time of 25:48.26. He was one of five Tigers, who placed in the top 20 at the meet.
Up Next
Following the Paul Short Invitational, the Tigers will head home to host the Auburn Invitational at Indian Pines Golf Course. The women's race will commence at 9:30 a.m., with the men beginning at 10:30 a.m. The men's race is an 8K, while the women's race is a 6K. The event features over 35 teams.