University of Evansville cross country coach Don Walters put the finishing touches on his 2008 rosters this afternoon, as he announced the addition of five men and two women to his rosters for this fall.

On the men’s side, current UE junior Matthew Krall (Colleyville, Texas/Colleyville Heritage) will join true freshmen Daniel Caruana (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville), Kyle O'Connor (Floyds Knobs, Ind./Floyd Central), Jacob Ramirez (Crestwood, Ky./Trinity) and Spencer Sandage (Cannelton, Ind./Tell City) in their first year of Division I cross country at Evansville.  On the women’s side, Walters rounded out his 2008 roster by adding Ellettsville, Indiana standout Stephanie Keene (Edgewood H.S.) and Minnesota native Tailae Yeung (New Brighton, Minn./Totino-Grace).

Krall will be competing in collegiate cross country for the first time in 2008, as he is set to enter his junior year at Evansville.  Caruana, meanwhile, lettered three years in cross country at Merrillville High School in northwest Indiana, while also earning all-area honors on the track in the 4x800-meter relay.

O’Connor competed in cross country at Floyd Central High School, while graduating in the top 10 percent of his class, while Ramirez ran cross country for Kentucky running power Trinity High School, which advanced to a state-record 53rd consecutive state finals meet in 2007.  Sandage rounds out UE’s five male additions in 2008 after earning honorable mention all-state honors at Tell City High School, where he competed for former UE standout Chris Hollinden.

On the women’s side, Keene could battle for a spot among UE’s lead pack after earning a pair of all-sectional awards at Edgewood High School in Indiana.  Yeung, meanwhile, excelled on the track, as she was an honorable mention all-conference selection in the 800-meters for a Totino-Grace squad which finished first at Minnesota’s 2008 True Team state track meet.

The pack of seven newcomers joins a UE cross country program which returns 15 male runners and nine female letterwinners from last year’s squads.  The 2008 cross country season will get underway on Saturday, August 30 at 10:00 a.m. central time, as UE will host the fifth-annual Mid-America Opener at the UE Cross Country Course, located at 20404 Barton Road in Evansville.