Cross Country Competes in Great American Cross Country Festival

--- Bulldogs to run at Spain Park ---

Sept. 22, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford cross country team will compete in the Great American Cross Country Festival tomorrow at Spain Park in Hoover, Ala. The women’s race will start at 9:55 a.m., and the men will begin running at 10:55 a.m. The festival is open to college and high school runners.

The Great American Cross Country Festival is the second meet of the year for the Bulldogs runners. The Bulldogs last ran at the Chattanooga Opener two weeks ago, where they finished second on the women’s side and fourth on the men’s side.

Freshman Angela Fister led the Bulldogs as she finished fourth overall for the women with a time of 11:54 on the two-mile course. The other Bulldogs female runners were sophomore Katie Almand (10), junior Robyn DeBenedet (11), freshman Jessica Van Ausdall (12), freshman Ina Ables (14), junior Britney Almaguer (15), freshman Jessica Gurley (20), and freshman Lauren Pilcher (28).

For the men, 2005 OVC Freshman Runner of the Year Cameron Bean finished 10^th overall with a time of15:58 on a 5K course. Right behind Bean were red-shirt sophomore Bo Brawner (13), junior Drew Anderwald (18), freshman Blaise Carie (30), and sophomore Joel Shaw (37).

This is the first year that the festival has been held at Spain Park. The festival is operated by the National Scholastic Sports Foundation, who presents the Nike Indoor Nationals and the Nike Outdoor Nationals as well as the Nike Team Nationals cross-country championships.

*** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***