Oct. 31, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF cross country team returns from a layoff to compete in the 2008 Conference USA Championships Saturday morning in Memphis, Tenn., at 11 a.m. The Knights will be looking to build on its seventh-place finish at last season's meet.
UCF has had an impressive season thus far, finishing in the top five in five of its six meets. The Knights have two wins on the year, claiming the titles at both the Black & Gold Invitational and the FLRunners.com Invitational.
"This is the meet we have been training for all summer and fall," said head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. "Coach Ty [Sanders] and Coach [Dennis] Kozub have tapered the workouts over the past two weeks in order for UCF to perform at our very best. The entire team has been told that anything less than 100% is unacceptable. Winning is simply doing your best by contributing 100%. I am very excited because I observed some of the workouts this week and our UCF cross country team looks very impressive. Let the race begin!"
On the season, seven of the Knights have set new personal bests. Seniors Shantile Blackburn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Allison Palmer (Oviedo, Fla.) won the FLRunners.com Invitational and the Black & Gold Invitational respectively.
UCF is currently 11th in the USTFCC South Region Poll. In five meets in 2008, the Knights have finished first on two occasions, second, third and fifth.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.