Golden Eagle cross country teams set to host TTU Invitational Friday
The hills at Southern Hills Golf Course will present plenty of challenges Friday afternoon as the Tennessee Tech men's and women's cross country teams host the seventh annual TTU Invitational, starting at 3 p.m.
Directions to Southern Hills
Weekly team notes (PDF)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The hills at Southern Hills Golf Course will
present plenty of challenges Friday afternoon as the Tennessee Tech
men's and women's cross country teams host the seventh annual TTU
Invitational, starting at 3 p.m.
Southern Hills will also be the site of the 2010 Ohio Valley
Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 30, so
league teams coming to this week's race will have an opportunity to
test the layout. The women will run a 5K race, followed by the
men's 8K run.
"This can be a tough and challenging course," said Golden Eagle
head coach Tony Cox. "There are a couple of hills that present a
real test to the runners. We've run the TTU Invitational here for
several years and we've heard really good comments from the
visiting teams.
"It's also a pretty good layout for spectators to watch the
races," Cox added.
The Tech teams have competed in two events this fall, and freshmen
runners have set the pace for both the women's and men's
squads.
For the Golden Eagle women's squad, freshman Peri Winborne has
been the top finisher at both the University of the South and
Western Kentucky. A four-time state qualifier during her prep
career at Knoxville Farragut High School, Winborne ran a 6K time of
23:54.73 at Sewanee, and covered the WKU 5K course in 20:29.30.
Five other newcomers were also among the women's team leaders the
first two meets of the year. They include freshmen Rebecca Cline
from Spring Hill, Emily Williams from Talbott, and Amelia McCoy
from Crossville, sophomore Beth Miller from Waterrtown, and junior
Leah Bradley from McDonough, Ga.
Freshman Matthew Bishop has
led the men's team at both races. He ran a time of 27:26.40 to
finish ninth overall at Sewanee, and posted a time of 27:57.90 at
Western Kentucky. He was also a four-time qualifier for the state
meet, helping Morristown West High School steadily climb up the
final standings each year until capturing the state championship
last year.
Sam Taylor, a senior from Soddy-Daisy, and John Green, a sophomore
from Friendsville, have each finished second on the squad this
year. Taylor was the top finisher for Tech in six of seven meets
last year, including a season-best time of 26:49 at Southern Hills
during the 2009 TTU Invitational, which ranks among the Top 25
times (8K) in Tech history.
Other Tech runners who have run among the team leaders and are
hoping for another strong showing Friday include freshmen Adam
McLeod from Kingsport and Tyler Eads from
Tullahoma, junior Daniel Francis from
Morgantown, N.C., and seniors Joseph DeLorenzo
from Crossville and Ben Shasserre from Oak Ridge.
There is no admission charge for spectators at the TTU
Invitational.
