Wednesday, October 14, 2009

MACON, Ga. – For her performance at the Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic on Saturday, Mackenzie Howe earned her ninth career Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week award, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

Howe won the Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic on Saturday, finishing the 5K course in 18:01.60, 1.8 seconds faster than Sara Trane of Florida Tech. The junior, from Watkinsville, Ga., led the Owls, who used three top-20 performances (Erin Sutton – eighth and Brittany Reilly – 13th) to claim their third team victory of the season, a first-place finish overall in the meet with 79 points. Central Florida followed, placing second with 83 points, in a race that featured 30 teams and 279 runners. Howe finished fourth in the same race last year and remains undefeated in 2009 with five wins in five meets.

The Owls run for the final time before the Atlantic Sun Championships, hosting the first annual KSU Owl Invitational, which will take place on Friday at Noonday Park in Kennesaw.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.