ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech mens and womens cross country teams will open the 2000 season this weekend at the Mitchell Invitational, hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens. The event gets under way on Saturday, September 9 at 9 a.m.
The Georgia Tech mens cross country team enters the year looking to build on its sixth-place finish at the 1999 ACC Championships with a solid group of returnees and key newcomers in place. Heading the list of returnees is redshirt junior Joe Stegall (Rydal, Ga.), who was the Jackets top runner in 1998 before an injury sidelined him in 1999. Topping the newcomers for the year is redshirt freshman Brendon Mahoney (Cumming, Ga.), who sat out the fall of 1999 to prepare for the track season, and responded by being named the ACC Freshman of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Following the best finish in school history at the NCAA District IX meet, a fourth-place finish, the Georgia Tech womens cross country team will look to a strong corps of returnees to improve on last seasons success. A pair of sophomores, Amy Dock (Charlotte, N.C.) and Katie Griffin (Stone Mountain, Ga.), will be looked to for leadership this fall after turning in strong cross country and track seasons last year. Joining them will be redshirt junior Sara Pardue (Aurora, Colo.), who followed a strong fall with an even better track season as she garnered All-America recognition in both the 800 meters and the distance medley relay, while winning the ACC title in the indoor 800 meters.
