Oct. 25, 2007

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - George Mason's men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. to run in the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Championships on Friday morning. The men's 8k is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., with the women's 6k following at 11 a.m. After the conclusion of both races, the CAA will hold an awards ceremony at noon.

The William and Mary Tribe have had an impressive run at the championships recently, winning the past seven men's titles and the past four women's crowns. The Tribe men are currently ranked 28th nationally and fourth in the Southeast Region by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while the William and Mary women are ranked 10th in the Southeast Region. The Tribe men's team has accounted for five of the past six individual champions.

In the latest Southeast Region Poll, the George Mason men's team is ranked 14th. The men's team is led by sophomore Robert Krause, who currently holds the team's top time of the season, clocking in at 25:28.00 at the Navy Invitational on Sept. 15. Mason has competed at four meets this season, last running at the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 12. The Patriots finished 11th at the highly competitive meet, earning 270 team points.

In addition to Krause, 11 other athletes will run in the race for Mason, including sophomore Travis Boccher, sophomore James Burns, senior John Crain, senior Kris Cruz, senior Ryan Davis, sophomore Andrew Holloway, sophomore Tommy Mason, junior Ryan Murphy, sophomore Chris Palmer, sophomore James Phillips and sophomore James Snyder. Sophomore Matt Bailey and freshman Phillip Mlinarcik will serve as alternates.

At last year's CAA Championships, the men's team finished third behind William and Mary and James Madison with 98 points. The third-place finish was the team's highest since placing third at the 1997 championship meet. Charles Millioen finished as the runner-up, earning All-CAA honors for Mason, crossing the finish line in 24:59.18. This year's group will attempt to improve upon last year's finish and do something Mason hasn't done since the 1986 championship meet - finish in the top-two.

"After finishing third last season, our goal as a team is to place in the top-two at the meet," said Head Coach Andrew Gerard. "We want to continue to close the margin between us and the top teams in the CAA."

While William and Mary is unquestionably the top team in the conference, Gerard also thinks Georgia State and Delaware are teams to keep an eye on. Georgia State is led by Jay Morrill, while Kyle Schmid is the Fightin' Blue Hens' top runner.

The women's team is led by freshman Samantha Fickel, whose time of 19:48.00 at the Delaware Invitational on Oct. 13 is the team's fastest time of the season. The Patriots have competed at four meets this year, earning a pair of top-five team finishes to start the season. Mason finished fifth at the Towson Invitational on Sept. 8 and followed that performance with a fourth-place finish at the JMU Invitational on Sept. 15.

In addition to Fickel, sophomore Samantha Bradley, sophomore Candace Carter, graduate student Kandance Ferguson, senior Melissa Ferry, freshman Katherine Griffith, senior Danielle Turner, sophomore Amy Yocum and senior Alicia York will run in the 6k for the Patriots at the CAA Championships. The women's team is highly motivated to improve upon last year's 10th-place finish at the championship meet.

"We would like to move up our position from where we were last year and the past couple of years," said Head Coach Angie Taylor. "We've been steadily improving our times throughout the season and closing the gap on some of the top teams in the conference."

Along with William and Mary, the top teams on the women's side figure to be Delaware, Georgia State and James Madison. Emily Anderson and Emily Gousen are a formidable tandem for the Tribe, while Georgia State is led by Rachel Hannah. Defending CAA Champion Dena Spickard is the top runner for the Dukes.