The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Cross Country Heads To C-USA Championships
10/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 30, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB cross country team will compete at the 2009 Conference USA Championships Saturday, hosted by Houston. The 5K race is set to kick off at 10 a.m. CT at Bear Branch Sportsfields in The Woodlands, Texas.
After three weeks off from competition, the Blazers are looking to run hard and improve upon last year's fourth-place finish. The last time UAB won the conference title was in 2006.
"Although we have had the past two weekends off from racing, we have taken major strides in our training," UAB head coach Blake Boldon said. "We are ready to run and this course works well for our girls and the preparation they've had."
The Blazers will face strong competition at the C-USA Championships, which includes No. 25-ranked UTEP and eight regionally ranked squads in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls. UAB is currently ranked 12th in the USTFCCCA South Region poll.
"There will be no surprises Saturday," Boldon said. "Conference USA has tough competition, but we are going to race to our fitness."
Sophomore Rhiannon Johns returns for the Blazers this weekend after sitting out the last two meets due to injury. Prior to her injury, Johns recorded a first-place finish at the Earl Jacoby Memorial with a 5K time of 18:22 and a fifth-place finish at the Belmont Opener with a 4K time of 16:04.77.
"It is great to have her back," Boldon said. "She will impact our team in a big way. Not only will she affect the team score, but the overall team morale."
The Blazers will also look to senior Kristina Olsen, sophomores Kristina Vaughn and Colleen Standridge and redshirt junior Kendel Hood to have strong races on Saturday.
"Kendel Hood had a tremendous month of training," Boldon said. "She has come a long way and is someone that could grab a top spot on for the team this weekend."
Junior Stephanie Gammon will not run at the C-USA Championships due to injury.
"We have improved dramatically as a team over the last month," Boldon said. "We are an entirely different team from when we ran at Furman on Oct. 10. The girls have been shaving seconds off their times and we hope to see the benefits from that Saturday."
