• Map and Directions to The UE Cross Country Course
The University of Evansville cross country teams will kick off the 2008 season on Saturday morning, as the Purple Aces will host the fifth-annual Mid-America Opener at the UE Cross Country Course, located at 20404 Barton Road in Evansville. The women’s 4,000-meter race will begin the morning’s meet at 10:00 a.m., with the men’s 6,000-meter event set to follow.
The Mid-America Opener will feature a wide range of teams, in a field which should challenge the Purple Aces. Big East powerhouse Louisville, which finished ninth in the country last year on the men’s side, returns as the reigning men’s and women’s team champions. Evansville, a team of UE Alumni, Lipscomb, Murray State, Austin Peay, Division II Kentucky Wesleyan, and NAIA Campbellsville University will round out this year’s Mid-America Opener field.
“This meet continues to grow every year, and this year’s field should provide a good challenge for both our men’s and women’s teams,” said UE head coach
Don Walters. “Obviously, Louisville will provide a very stiff challenge for us, as they have a lot of good runners back from last year, but the other teams are all solid teams, and this should give us a good measuring stick for where we are at to start the season.
“This meet is always a great way to start the season, because it gives our newcomers a good chance to get their feet wet and adjust to the competition level of college, without having to go the college distances of 5-K for women and 8-K for men. It is also a fun meet because we get to run not only in front of our home crowd, but also against some of our alumni. That always makes for a fun atmosphere.”
A pack of 20 UE men will take to the course this fall, led by 2007 Most Valuable Runner
Greg Pulscher (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) and 2007 Most Outstanding Male Freshman
Ryan Witters (Evansville, Ind./Memorial). In all, Evansville returns its top 10 runners from a year ago on the men’s side this fall, while featuring a roster with just one senior in four-year senior
Andrew Kunz (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Burris).
On the women’s side, Evansville will return nine letterwinners from last year’s team this fall, while welcoming six true freshmen to the Division I level. Senior
Franny Enzler (Evansville, Ind./Memorial), juniors
Arrena Svoboda (Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch) and
Courtney Heller (Montgomery, Ind./Barr-Reeve), and sophomore
Melissa Truex (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) return from UE’s lead pack of last fall.
The 2008 Purple Aces won’t be the only Evansville contingent to hit the course on Saturday, as a group of UE Alumni will also compete in Saturday’s Mid-America Opener. UE Hall of Fame runner David Denny is expected to race once again alongside his son Brian, who is entering his sophomore year at Evansville this fall. Denny is among a group of around 15 alumni expected to compete at Saturday’s meet.
