Friday, October 28, 2011

MACON, Ga. - North Florida enters the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Women's Cross Country Championship as the defending champions and the favorite to win the title. This year's championship meet is being held at Percy Warner Park on the Vaughn's Gap Course, which has previously hosted the conference meet in 2004 and 2007.

The women's race begins at 10:45 a.m. CT, which will follow the men's race. UNF's Shelby Kittrell is the top returner from last year's meet when she finished second in a time of 17:24 - the eighth fastest time in A-Sun history. Jacksonville's Joane Pierre and USC Upstate's Joan Tangwar placed in the top-five last year and search for the individual title this season.

North Florida finished ahead of Lipscomb last season by 18 points, while Jacksonville, USC Upstate and Belmont rounded out the top-five.

2011 Women's Cross Country Championship Notes:

• Four A-Sun teams travel to Nashville with rankings in the USTFCCCA Region Coaches Poll. North Florida leads the way at No. 8 as the Ospreys have reached as high as fourth this season. Lipscomb and Belmont are close together at 10th and 11th, while Jacksonville rounds out the region poll at No. 15.
• The past three A-Sun meets have seen a different championship crowned each year. Belmont claimed the title in 2008, while Jacksonville followed in 2009 with the team title. North Florida won in 2010 and will look to break the streak this season. The last team to win back-to-back titles was Belmont from 2006-08.
• In the latest A-Sun Coaches Poll, the Ospreys were the unanimous top team with all ten first-place votes. The Lady Bisons trailed UNF in the poll, but were ahead of Jacksonville, Belmont and USC Upstate. UNF has claimed three meet titles this season including the Covered Bridge Invitational, Seminole Invitational and FLRunners.com Invitational. Jacksonville and Lipscomb both claimed two titles this season, while USC Upstate and Belmont earned one meet title.
• The last time the hosting team won the A-Sun Championship came in 2004, when Belmont won the title at Percy Warner Park. Belmont also won the title in 2007, when Lipscomb hosted the meet at the same course.
• USC Upstate's trio of Joan Tangwar, Jemeli Sang and Carolyne Chelulei own the three-fastest 5,000-meter times this season. Tangwar tops the charts at 16:53.70, while Sang and Chelulei are next at 17:13.50 and 17:30.26. Jacksonville's Joane Pierre is in fourth at 17:35.20, while Lipscomb's Tessa Hoefle round out the top-five at 17:51.24.

Full results, highlights and interviews will be posted on the Atlantic Sun Conference website following the conclusion of both the men's and women's race.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. 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, 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.