Aug. 20, 2007

There are not many returning letter winners but McNeese State cross country coach Brendon Gilroy is looking for an improved showing from both the Cowboys and the Cowgirls this season.

They will kick their year off on Sept. 7 in a relay meet that will have Sam Houston State coming to town. That meet will be run at the soccer field off Lake Street extension.

Other meets on tap are an outing at Louisiana Tech on Sept.15, a meet at LSU on Sept. 22, the Great American cross country meet in Birmingham, AL on Oct. 13 and the Southland Conference championship meet Oct. 27 in Corpus Christi, TX.

Following the conference meet both teams are expected to participate in the NCAA regionals which will be held on Nov. 10.

McNeese will also host a Cowboy Stampede for high schools on Oct. 6 at the McNeese farm.

This year the Cowboys are hoping to improve on a ninth place showing of a year ago at the conference meet and the Cowgirls will be out to better an 11th place effort from last season.

Gilroy sees the past recruiting season as the tool that will could his teams back on track. It was a good recruiting year.

He signed two international runners from Ireland for the men's team and landed prep standout Amy Guinn from Barbe High for the Cowgirls.

Ryan Barrow and Matt Fontenot are the only returning letter winners for the Cowboys while there are no returnees for the Cowgirls who ran last year's cross country season with no true distance runners.

` A year ago Barrow finished 56th at the SLC meet while Fontenot placed 60th.

Stephen Scullion out of Belfast, Northern Ireland and Mark Hoey of County Louth, Ireland are two runners who have participated in international junior meets. Both are freshmen on this year's squad.

Other rookies on the men's team are Logan Hassenbein of Houston, Jonathon Koenck of Anacoco, Jordan Neil of County Down, Northern Ireland, Kenneth Pierce of Lake Charles and Alasdair Russell of Kendal, England.

There are only five members of the Cowgirl team and joining Guinn are Tinette Burger of Upinton, South Africa, Katarina Caraway and Jennifer LaValley, both of Iowa, and Carly Thurman of The Woodlands, TX.

"I've set some goals up for them," Gilroy said. "And, one is to be the best men's team in Louisiana. We run at the LSU and the Louisiana Tech meets so we have the opportunity to run against all of the teams in the state.

"Also, I want us to at least be in the top five at the conference meet. It's something that we will have to work at but it's a goal that we can reach."

Gilroy said that as for the Cowgirls, he certainly expected them to move up the ranks in the conference standings.

MCNEESE STATE 2007 CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

Sept. 7 McNeese Relay

Sept. 15 at Louisiana Tech meet

Sept. 22 at LSU meet

Oct. 1 at Northwestern State meet

Oct. 13 at Great American race (Birmingham, AL)

Oct. 27 at Southland Conference championship (Corpus Christi, TX)

Nov. 10 at NCAA regionals.

COWGIRL ROSTER

Tinette Burger Soph Upinton, South Africa

Katarina Caraway Fr. Iowa, LA

Amy Guinn Fr. Lake Charles, LA

Jennifer LaValley Fr. Iowa, LA

Carly Thurman Fr. The Woodlands, TX

COWBOY ROSTER

Ryan Barrow Soph Lake Charles, LA

Matt Fontenot Soph Iowa, LA

Logan Hassenbein Fr. Houston, TX

Mark Hoey Fr. County Louth, Ireland

Jonathon Koenck Fr. Anacoco, LA

Jordan Neil Fr. County Down, Northern Ireland

Kenneth Pierce Fr. Lake Charles, LA

Alasdair Russell Fr. Kendal, England

Stephen Scullion Fr. Belfast, Northern Ireland