Sept. 5, 2007
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Auburn men's and women's cross country teams will kick off their seasons on Friday, Sep. 7, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Both races will be held on the Moccasin Bend Race Course. The women's two-mile race is set to begin at 5:45p.m. with the men's 5K following at 6:15 p.m.
In 2006 at the same event, the Auburn women's team finished fourth with 103 points. The women finished ahead of Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State. The men's team finished fifth with 108 points, finishing ahead of Lipscomb and Middle Tennessee State. Top Tigers at the 2006 opener were Simon Nyang with a 5k time of 16:09 and Jessica Smith with a two-mile time of 12:13.
Both teams were picked to finish ninth in the SEC preseason polls. Head Coach Pete Watson is predicting to finish above that margin.
"Simon Nyang and Scott Novak look completely different compared to last season, we are seeing great things from them," said Watson.
Watson is equally optimistic about the women's team.
"Laurel Pritchard and Sabrina Fischer had good seasons and we are excited to see what they bring this year," said Watson.
Patrick Philbin will be the veteran among the group, finishing out his career where it started. Along with Philbin's leadership, there will also be a lot of sophomore leadership as well.
"This will be a great stepping stone, and should prove to be beneficial to the team in the years to come" said Watson.
Results from the meet will be available following the completion of the men's race Friday night.