Sept. 26, 2002
ATLANTA – With two meets under their belts, the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s cross country teams will face a stiff early-season test Friday when the Jackets travel to the Great American Invitational held at the Ballantyne Resort Golf Course in Charlotte, N.C.
In rare night cross country action, the seeded women’s five-kilometer race starts at 6:10 p.m., followed by the seeded men’s 8K at 7:05 p.m.
Seniors Brendon Mahoney, a track All-American, and Joe Poliseo should lead the way for the men’s squad. Both runners will be making their 2002 debut. Freshman Rob Kuhn, who owns Tech’s top 8K time this season (27:02), is also expected to perform well. Sophomore Adam Jones and freshmen Brian O’Neill and Mark Luffel are coming off top-10 finishes at the Georgia State Invitational.
Leading the way for the Tech women will be senior Katie Griffin, who placed second at the Bulldog Stampede (18:08) in her only action this season. Junior Neta Ezer, freshman Carly Matthews and senior Eboni Crosby, who each posted top-20 finishes at the Bulldog Stampede, are also expected to compete.
The women’s field should be extremely competitive, as nine nationally-ranked teams, including five top-10 squads are scheduled to run. Top-ranked Brigham Young and No. 2 Georgetown will be in action. Six ACC teams, led by No. 6 NC State and eighth-ranked Duke, will also compete.
The men’s race should also be strong, as six ranked teams will race. Fifth-ranked Northern Arizona is the highest-ranked of three top-10 teams in action. The men will also get a good look at the conference competition, as seven ACC teams, including No. 7 NC State, will compete.
Live results from the meet will be available at www.flashresults.com.
-GT-
