The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Heads To Sunshine State For Conference USA Championships
10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB cross country team will compete in the 2005 Conference USA Championships on Oct. 29, hosted by UCF at Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex at 8:45 a.m. (CT). The 5K race, originally scheduled to be hosted by Tulane University and held in New Orleans, La., was forced to change venues following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"This is always an exciting time of the season," said UAB head coach Ray Stanfield. "When you have a chance to compete for a conference championship, the anticipation is great. We ran well last year and knocked on the door. This year I feel we are in an even better position to win. Rice is very good and ranked nationally, however we are running really well at the right time. It will be fun."
The championship will feature the men's 8K race at 9 a.m. (ET), to be followed by the women's 5K race at 9:45 a.m. The 2005 C-USA cross country season is shaping up to be one of the strongest in recent years as four women's teams are ranked in the latest Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association regional polls (Rice - 3rd/South-Central, SMU - 5th/South-Central, UAB - 7th/South and Tulsa - 9th/Midwest). Houston is the reigning champion on the men's side, while a new women's champion will be crowned this year following a run of five-straight championships by Marquette, who has since departed the league.
The Blazers are looking to build on their historical performance in last season's championships. UAB had its highest finish in the history of the program at the 2004 Conference USA Championships, as it placed third in the field of 14. The Blazers had two top-10 finishers, as Elizabeth Ambrus placed third and Elizabeth Hilligoss was seventh. The Blazers recorded 101 points in the contest, finishing behind Marquette and TCU.
