OU Cross Country Set to Compete in Mid-Con Championship

CEDAR CITY, UTAH -- The 2001 Mid-Continent Conference Men's and Women's
Cross Country Championships are set to take place on Saturday, October 27.
The two championships, the first of the 2001-02 academic year, will be
hosted by Southern Utah University at Cedar Ridge Golf Course, just north of
campus in Cedar City, Utah. The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 10
a.m., while the women�s 6-kilometer race will start at 11 a.m.


Though Southern Utah has won each of the last four men's championships, this
year's title chase is wide open. The Thunderbirds were the preseason pick in
a vote of league coaches, but only one Southern Utah runner has an 8K time

that places in the league's top ten this season (4th; Cody Moat - 25:20.00).
Moat and teammate Abdul Majeed Abudu may contend for the individual title.


Contenders for the league crown don�t stop at Southern Utah, however. Oral
Roberts' Omar Brooks has posted the Mid-Con's best time in an 8K this
season, covering that distance in 24:39.03 in early October. IUPUI's Matt
Schmitt (2nd; 24:53.70) leads a trio of Jaguar runners who have top ten
times this season, while two-time all-conference performer Aaron Crague of
Valparaiso (3rd; 24:55.00) is one of two Crusaders who have ranked among the
league's best. The parity among Mid-Con runners this season is evidenced by
the fact that six different runners from six different institutions have
earned Mid-Con Men�s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors this season.


On the women's side, Southern Utah has won three straight championships, and
the Thunderbirds were the preseason favorite to win again this year. Two
all-conference performers return for Southern Utah from last year's team,

including Jandee Anderson, who has the second-best time in a 6K race by a
Mid-Con runner this season (22:31.00). Anderson is one of four Thunderbirds
who rank among the league's top ten performers this season.


Last year's Mid-Con Athlete of the Year, Oakland's Kristie Kieffer, has been
the most consistent performer in the league thus far in 2001. A two-time
recipient of Mid-Con Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors,
Kieffer has the sixth-best 6K time in the league this year (22:52.00).


Four Oral Roberts runners have times that place among the league's best this
season, including Mindy Crawford, whose time of 22:23.00 is the league's
best 6K time this year. UMKC's Natalie Myers might also be a contender for
individual title honors, as she holds the fourth-best 6K time in the league
this season (22:36.00), and is a two-time Mid-Con Athlete of the Week
recipient.


All eight of the Mid-Con's member institutions - Chicago State, IUPUI, UMKC,
Oakland, Oral Roberts, Southern Utah, Valparaiso and Western Illinois -
sponsor both men's and women's cross country, and will compete in this
weekend's championship.