This weekend, the University of Evansville cross country teams will look to start the 2010 season out on the right foot, as UE will host the Mid-America Opener featuring runners from Louisville, Indiana State, and Kentucky Wesleyan, as well as Aces alumni, on Saturday morning. The women’s 4K race begins at 10:00 am central time, with the men’s 6K race to follow. The meet will take place at the UE Cross Country Course, located at 20404 Barton Road in Evansville.
Led by 2009 Most Valuable Runner Ryan Witters, the Evansville men’s team returns four of its top five finishers from last year’s State Farm Missouri Valley Conference race. This weekend, the team will be tested early by top-ranked competition. Conference opponent Indiana State comes in regionally-ranked in the Great Lakes Region, while Louisville is ranked in the Southeast Region and received votes for the men’s national poll.
The relatively young Aces' women’s cross country team will be led by last year’s Most Valuable Runner, sophomore Lauren Zeabart. The UE squad will turn to senior Jaclyn Dippel, redshirt junior Melissa Truex and true juniors Lauren Schaftlein and Tailae Yeung for veteran leadership.
“I’m excited to get started,” said UE head coach Don Walters. “Both the men’s and women’s teams have come back to campus ready to go this year, and Saturday’s meet will give us a good measuring stick for where we are at, going into the season. Obviously, the competition level is going to be very high with both Indiana State and Louisville being regionally-ranked, but that is good, because it will allow us to see how much we have closed the gap on those top programs early on in the season.
“I always love this meet as well because of our alumni which make it back to Evansville to take part in the meet. Having them compete with our current runners is fun, but the real fun is after the meet when we can go out and talk and share stories about our experiences. Both our alumni and our current team members really enjoy that time together.”
Map & Directions To UE Cross Country Course
