It was a banner day for the Marquette University men’s and women’s cross country teams at the 2003 Conference USA Cross Country championship in Tampa on Saturday. After finishing second in each of the last two years and five times in eight years, Marquette’s men's team broke through and won its first Conference USA team title. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles women’s team captured its fourth consecutive conference title.

Marquette won the men's championship with 43 points, easily outdistancing second place Cincinnati (88 points) and third place finisher Louisville (102). Conference USA Freshman of the Year Jeremy Williams was the top Golden Eagle runner, placing second overall with a time of 25:09.20. Teammate Brent Des Roches placed fourth with a time of 25:13.50. Junior Kyle MacKenzie of East Carolina was the top individual finisher with a time of 25:07.20, while Louisville’s Wes Seacat placed third with a time of 25:11.50.

“First place is what we’ve been pointing to all along, “ said Marquette’s Dave Uhrich, the 2003 Conference USA Men’s Coach of the Year. “Finishing second is a good thing. That means that we are having success. But, we wanted to take that next step and today we went out and did that. I’m very proud of them.”

The Golden Eagles women’s team took the team title with 43 points, edging out TCU (55 points) for second place. USF finished third with 118 points. Junior Mary Kinyanjui of TCU captured the individual title with a time of 20:45.40, while teammate Ami Batler placed second with a time of 20:46.30 and Marquette's Jodi Jakubek was third with a time of 20:56.30.

“Obviously, we were up against a lot of good teams and we knew it was going to be a battle, said Uhrich, who shared women’s Coach of the Year honors with TCU’s Derek Koonts. “We just kept it up and were able to get the job done.”

Men's 8,000-meter Run
1. Marquette (43); 2. Cincinnati (88); 3. Louisville (102); 4. DePaul (105); 5. Houston (131); 6. USF (177); 7. Memphis (199); 8. East Carolina (200); 9. TCU (230); 10. Tulane (236); 11. Saint Louis (244); 12. Charlotte (277).

Women's 6,000-meter Run
1. Marquette (43); 2. TCU (55); 3. USF (118); 4. Charlotte (151); 4. UAB (151); 6. Cincinnati (156); 7. Tulane (171); 8. East Carolina (184); 9. Louisville (203); 10. Southern Miss (271); 11. DePaul (271); 12. Houston (304); 13. Saint Louis (337); 14. Memphis (340).

2003 CONFERENCE USA CROSS COUNTRY AWARDS

MEN’S AWARDS

Individual Champion:
Kyle MacKenzie, East Carolina

First Team All-Conference
Kyle MacKenzie, East Carolina
Jeremy Williams, Marquette
Wes Seacat, Louisville
Brent Des Roches, Marquette
Sean Burris, USF

Second Team All-Conference
Donnie Warner, DePaul
David Henderson, Marquette
Jake Remitz, Marquette
Jackson Langat, TCU
Adam Chumbley, USF

Third Team All-Conference
Adam Widyk, Memphis
Andy Wietmarschen, Cincinnati
Tim Kaiser, Louisville
Cole Dailey, Houston
Sesar Figueroa, Houston

Freshman of the Year
Jeremy Williams, Marquette

Coach of the Year
Dave Uhrich, Marquette

WOMEN’S AWARDS

Individual Champion:
Mary Kinyanjui, TCU

First Team All-Conference
Mary Kinyanjui, TCU
Ami Batler, TCU
Jodi Jakubek, Marquette
Bente General, USF
Christa Benton, USF

Second Team All-Conference
Heidi Lindeman, Marquette
Jessica Hellender, USF
Brianna Dahm, Marquette
Cassie Ficken, Charlotte
Amanda Kara, UAB

Third Team All-Conference
Katrina Zielinski, TCU
Jamie Haro, Marquette
Caitlin Littlefield, East Carolina
Audrey Schiltz, Marquette
Calandra Stewart, TCU

Freshman of the Year
Heidi Lindeman, Marquette

Co-Coaches of the Year
Dave Uhrich, Marquette
Derek Koonts, TCU