Aug. 28, 2008

Irving, Texas -UTEP men and Rice women have been selected as the Conference USA preseason favorites to win the 2008 cross country titles in November as voted on by the league's head coaches. The three-time C-USA champion Miners were the unanimous choice for the top honor. Rice women also look to defend its 2007 cross country title as the Owls received nine of the possible 12 first-place votes. Both programs ended the 2007 season ranked among the nation's elite.

UTEP, a team that took the top five spots at last year's C-USA Championship returns four of the five all-conference selections. Head coach Paul Ereng, a 1998 Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters, must replace three-time All-C-USA honoree Stephen Samoei who became the first male cross country athlete in league history to claim athlete of the year and All-American honors three times.

Headlining this year's squad is senior Patrick Mutai, a two-time C-USA individual champion who paced the Miners in 2005 and 2006. Mutai is also the 2008 C-USA 5,000m indoor champion and three-time 3,000m steeplechase outdoor winner. During his final season as a Miner, Mutai will seek help from fellow senior Japheth Ng'ojoy and the trio of juniors Aggrey Chirchir, Nicodemus Ng'etich and Dominic Tanui to win the program's fourth-straight title.

The Owls who finished third last year have been voted to finish second this season. Senior Brett Olson and junior Brad Morris, who both finished in the top 25 at the conference championships last year, will lead an experienced team in the hunt for a conference championship as they look to end the Miner's streak.

The Golden Hurricane is predicted to finish third this year and finished second to UTEP at the 2007 championships placing eight runners in the top 15. Tulsa returns five of the nine runners that competed in that meet. Topping the list of high caliber athletes returning is All-C-USA second teamer John Beattie. The Southampton, England, native finished sixth at the championships with a time of 25:20.1. The junior transfer was named C-USA's Newcomer of the Year in 2007. Also earning All-C-USA honors and returning for the Hurricane is second-teamers Edwin Henshaw and Lewis Timins and third-teamers Kyle Dekker and Eric Harris.

Rounding out the top half for the men's poll are the Houston Cougars who will be led by junior Ahmed Harb who finished 16th last year at the conference championship.

Rice women, winners of two of the last three league titles, return a full squad from a year ago. Leading the Owls will be the sophomore duo of Allison Pye and Becky Wade who were both All-C-USA first-team members as freshmen in 2007. Rice became the first program to win the triple crown in 2007, claiming conference championship titles in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. Only one other school (Western Kentucky) out of 32 conferences did what the Owls did. Rice's remarkable 2007 season was highlighted by winning the NCAA South Central Regional title. The Owls' experienced team will be a positive factor in their attempt for back-to-back C-USA championships.

The Hurricane returns All-American Alex Becker, the C-USA Athlete of the Year and individual champion from 2007. The senior is determined to lead Tulsa to its first C-USA cross country championship crown. Competing for TU alongside Becker are All-C-USA second teamer Lane Kelley and third teamer Laura Englehutt.

SMU was picked to finish third while UAB was chosen fourth. Look for SMU's Silje Fjortoft to push Becker for the 2008 individual title. Fjortoft earned the league's Freshman of the Year honor and was the NCAA South Central Region Female Athlete of the Year in 2007.

The 2008 C-USA Championship will take place on Nov. 1 at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tennessee.

The teams begin working toward that championship day this weekend as Houston, Memphis, Rice, Southern Miss and Tulane open their 2008 schedule.