University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOL CROSS COUNTRY OPENS 2005 SEASON FRIDAY AT BELMONT
September 01, 2005 | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 1, 2005
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee women.s cross country team will kick off its 2005 campaign Friday evening, as the Lady Vols travel to Nashville to compete in the Belmont Opener on the Vaughn.s Creek Course at Percy Warner Park. The women.s 4K (2 mile) race is slated to get underway at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT).
UT, picked by coaches to win its third straight Southeastern Conference title this season, is expected to see a handful of league foes this weekend. Among the projected field of 10-15 teams are SEC schools Alabama and Vanderbilt as well as non-conference opponents Belmont and Memphis. Vandy is predicted to finish fourth in the league this season, while Alabama is projected to place eighth.
Tennessee returns eight letterwinners and boasts four veterans who have earned All-SEC acclaim during their careers. Leading that group are 2004 honorees Felicia Guliford (Gallup, N.M.) and Katie Flaute (Dayton, Ohio), both juniors. They are joined by 2003 all-conference runners in seniors Megan Cauble (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Mindy Sullivan (Lubbock, Texas) as well as 2004 15th-place SEC finisher senior Carly Matthews That quintet helped UT post a school-best record of 121-25 a year ago and win its third straight NCAA South Regional and its second consecutive SEC Championship trophy.
Joining that group in 2005 is a foursome of talented freshmen, which includes Rolanda Bell (Laurelton, N.Y.), Sara Bowman (Warrenton, Va.), Kimarra McDonald (Lumberton, N.J.) and Leah Soro (Knoxville, Tenn.). Bowman is the most decorated of that unit, having earned Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year accolades in Virginia and All-USA Today Track & Field distinction three times as one of the nation.s best middle distance runners.
Making the trip this weekend will be a squad comprised of nine runners. Making the trip will be seniors Carly Matthews (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Mindy Sullivan (Lubbock, Texas) and Rachel Zamata (Henderson, Tenn.); juniors Katie Flaute (Dayton, Ohio) and Robin Mortel (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshmen Rolanda Bell (Laurelton, N.Y.) Sarah Bowman (Warrenton, Va.), Kimarra McDonald (Lumberton, N.J.) and Leah Soro (Knoxville, Tenn.). Senior Megan Cauble (Knoxville, Tenn.) and junior Felicia Guliford (Gallup, N.M.) will sit this one out as Clark rotates his lineup so as to allow a week of rest during the season to help keep his runners' legs fresh.
"We're ready to get the season going," fourth-year Lady Vol Head Coach J.J. Clark said. "We'll see how we fair and get our newcomers some experience running collegiate cross country. With some key losses (Brooke Novak, Elizabeth McCalley) off last year.s team and with so many newcomers this season, we know we have a long way to go. That.s one of the reasons we are starting a week earlier this season than we did last year."
