Sept. 3, 2009
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s cross country teams open their 2009 slate with the Georgia Tech-Georgia dual meet Friday at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop, Ga. The event starts with the women’s 5k at 6:00 p.m., followed by the men’s 5-mile at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s great to open the season with a head-to-head dual against our rivals to the east,” head coach Alan Drosky said. “Often the first meet for cross country tends to be low key, but opening up with this dual meet brings intensity right away. Our men and women know how special this meet is and look forward to it all summer.”
After running the dual at the UGA Intramural fields in 2008, the two teams will go head-to-head this season at the Bulldog Equestrian Center located 12 miles south of the UGA campus. The Jackets will look to avenge a loss on both the men’s and women’s sides from one year ago.
“I know that both teams, our men and women, will compete very hard,” Drosky added. “It’s a completely new course this year at their Equestrian Center, so we’re anxious to see how it runs. In the end, though, when the dust settles, we hope to come out on top.”
The Tech men enter the new season having lost their top-two runners from 2008 – E.C. Gibbs and Nazar Trilisky – but return a veteran core of runners in seniors Matt Hickey and Billy Mateker, and juniors D.J. McMillan and Mark Mendrek-Laske.
The women’s side, which was very young in 2008, returns all five of its top runners from last season. Headlining the group is sophomore Mary Kate DuBard, who in her first season on the Flats earned All-South Region honors with a 22nd-place finish at the NCAA South Region Championships last November.
Four newcomers join the group, including highly touted freshman Kate Borowicz, who won multiple individual and team State Championships at the high school level in South Carolina.
A complete recap and results will be available on RamblinWreck.com shortly after the conclusion of the dual.
