Aug. 29, 2007

Irving, Texas - UTEP men and UAB women have been selected as the Conference USA preseason favorites to win the 2007 cross country titles in October as voted on by the league's head coaches. UTEP collected eight of the possible nine first-place votes for 71 points, while Tulsa earned 64 points and one first-place vote. UAB women received seven first-place votes for a total of 134 points, followed by Rice's 131 points and three top votes.

UTEP, a team that took four of the top six and five of the top eight spots at last year's C-USA Championship returns its entire lineup for the 2007 season. The Miners are the two-time defending C-USA champions and will rely on the strong corps of veterans in hopes of a three-peat.

Headlining the list of All-C-USA Miners is senior and two-time C-USA Cross Country Athlete of the Year Stephen Samoei.

Samoei became C-USA's first two-time cross country All-American when he finished 13th at the NCAA Championships a year ago. He also became the first male cross country runner in the league to repeat athlete of the year honors since Amos Kipygeon of Tulane did so in 1997 and 1998.

Backing up Samoei is two-time C-USA individual champion Patrick Mutai. Mutai, a junior, set the pace for UTEP's back-to-back championship record performances. The Miners took the 2005 league title with a conference best 21 points, but bettered that record by scoring 19 in 2006.

Samoei and Mutai looks to guide UTEP back across the finish line with the assistance of teammates Dominic Kiprono Tanui, Elias Koech, Nicodemus Ng'etich and Japheth Ng'ojoy. Ng'etich is coming off an impressive rookie season where he was named C-USA's Newcomer and Freshman of the Year.

The Kenya dominated team is coached by Paul Ereng, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters. Ereng became the first Kenyan to ever win a gold medal in the event.

The Golden Hurricane finished second to UTEP at the 2006 championships. However, Tulsa returns eight of the nine runners that competed in that meet. Topping the list of high caliber runners returning is senior Edwin Henshaw.

Henshaw, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, most recently competed in and won the Senior New Zealand Cross Country title in Mosgiel, Dunedin, New Zealand. With the victory, he became only the eighth New Zealander to win both the junior and senior titles. Henshaw has had just as much success at TU where he has earned All-C-USA first team cross country honors as well as finished fifth at the 2006 NCAA Midwest Outdoor Regional in the 5,000m, qualifying him for the NCAAs.

Also earning All-C-USA honors and returning for the Hurricanes are seniors Brett Turowski, a first team honoree, and second teamer Joel Stanloski, plus sophomores and third team selections Eric Harris and Kyle Dekker.

Rice follows Tulsa in the preseason poll for third place, then Houston.

UAB head coach Ray Stanfield returns a total of nine runners from a team that edged Rice by one point for the 2006 C-USA cross country title. Stanfield also regains the talent of redshirt senior Elizabeth Ambrus, who missed last season with an ankle injury.

Ambrus is the Blazers' top returning runner and could contend for All-America honors as she won the C-USA individual title and was named the league's athlete of the year in 2005. The Arlington Heights, Ill., native is the most decorated cross country runner in UAB history as she garnered All-C-USA honors and All-South Region merits.

Seniors Whitney Mays and Elizabeth Hilligoss, as well as sophomore Kristina Olsen were instrumental in the Blazers capturing last year's title. Mays and Hilligoss cross the finish line in seventh and eighth place, respectively, while Olsen finished 14th.

The Owls, who won the 2005 cross country title and the 2006 C-USA indoor and outdoor crowns, will be looking to reclaim the league title as head coach Jim Bevan has six seniors on his 2007 roster. Among those seniors is All-C-USA first teamer Marissa Daniels who finished second to SMU's senior Rachel Forish at last year's championship. Sophomore Nicole Mericle was named to the all-league second team, while senior Lennie Waite was a third team honoree. Mericle was also voted the C-USA Newcomer and Freshman of the Year in 2006.

Tulsa was picked to finish third, while SMU, who received two first-place votes, was chosen fourth. UCF and Tulane rounds out the top half of the poll with fifth and sixth-place predications, respectively.

The 2007 C-USA Championship will take place on Oct. 27 at the scenic Santa Teresa Country Club Spanish Dagger course in Santa Teresa, N.M. UTEP will host the one-day event that will feature a women's 5K and men's 8K races.

The teams begin working toward that championship day this weekend as five programs open their 2007 schedule.