The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
at Belmont Opener
UAB Cross Country Places Fifth At Belmont Opener
9/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 2, 2005
Nashville, Tenn. --- In their first meet of the season, the UAB cross country team placed fifth overall in the Belmont Opener here Friday evening. Junior Elizabeth Ambrus led the Blazers with a 12th-place finish, as she completed the 4K course in 14:54.69.
Southeastern Conference powerhouse Vanderbilt won the event with 45 points. Other SEC schools rounded out the top-four as Tennessee placed second with 54 points, Mississippi State tallied 79 points and Alabama recorded 99 points. UAB tallied 128 points en route to its fifth-place finish.
"This was the most competitive Belmont Opener we've been to," said UAB head coach Ray Stanfield. "We had great competition in the defending regional champion, Tennessee, as well as SEC powers Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Alabama. In terms of competition, this was a mid-season race, but we were in early-season form. Each meet is another step towards the conference meet."
Junior Jennifer Thompson finished in 19th for UAB, posting a time of 15:11.23, while sophomore Whitney Mays completed the race in 15:33.49, good for 28th overall.
Freshmen Jakia Williams and Katie Stepp were solid in their first collegiate race, as Williams recorded a time of 15:39.07 for 32nd overall, while Stepp ran the course in 15:56.37, placing 43rd.
Junior Ryanne Fortney placed 54th in the field, with a time of 16:06.50. Additionally, freshmen Tara Gruber and Tracey Rowan finished the race 63rd and 80th overall.
"We held out Elizabeth Hilligoss due to a nagging injury, but she should be ready next week," Stanfield said. "That's makes a big difference for us."
The Blazers will next compete in the Memphis Nighttime Classic in Memphis, Tenn., on September 9, 2005.
