Oct. 30, 2008
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s cross country teams head to Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday to compete in the 2008 ACC Championships, hosted by the University of North Carolina. The women’s 6K race will start at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s 8K at 11 a.m.
“Every year, the ACC Cross Country Championships offers outstanding competition, both team-wise and individually,” head coach Alan Drosky said. “This year’s edition certainly offers more of the same, and we’re excited about the opportunity we have this weekend.”
Both teams will face tough competition, as three teams from each side are currently ranked in the top 30 of the USTFCCCA national poll.
The women’s squad, currently ranked 15th in the USTFCCCA region poll, will look to improve on last year’s 11th-place finish in Charlottesville, Va. Over half of the squad will take the line in their first-ever ACC Championship. They are led by freshman Mary Kate DuBard, who has finished ahead of the pack in all four races she has competed in this year. DuBard’s top time in the 6K this year was a 21:49 pace at the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Oct. 18.
Freshmen Annie Martin and Betsy Kim will also look to step up for the Jacket women. Martin has been second for Tech in all four of her races this season while Kim has finished third in three of the four.
“The women are improving week-by-week,” Drosky added. “They have trained hard all season and are really coming around at the right time. Mary Kate DuBard has led us all season, with Annie Martin working to close the gap behind her. Our task is just to stay focused on what we have to do to compete well.”
The Tech men will also look to improve on last year’s 11th-place finish. Led by senior E.C. Gibbs, the group currently ranks 12th in the current South region poll. Gibbs has paced the Jackets in all four races this year, and will look for strong support from senior Nazar Trilisky and juniors Billy Mateker and Garad Soderman to close the gap between times at the meet.
“The men have made great progress throughout the season,” Drosky said. “I know they are ready to compete well. Nineteen men have been training for this weekend since last June and have literally run enough miles in preparation to circle the equator. E.C. Gibbs and Nazar Trilisky have been a solid one-two for us and a number of others have really stepped up this season.”
Results and a recap will be posted following the conclusion of both races on RamblinWreck.com.
