Oct. 29, 2009

The University of Texas-Pan American men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the second running of the Great West Conference Championship this Saturday (Oct. 31) at the Van Cortlandt Park hosted by NJIT in the Bronx, NY.

The men will look to defend their GWC title as they were predicted to finish second in the conference preseason poll, while the women seek to capture their first GWC title.

Competition will begin with the men's 8K at 8:45 a.m. ET followed by the women's 6K scheduled for 9:45 a.m. ET. An awards ceremony will follow shortly to honor the conference's 2009 top performers.

Competing for the men will be Omar Doria, Wally Gonzalez, Gilroy Martinez Jr., M. Angel Ramirez, Rolando Vela, Andrew Lopez, and Frank Garcia. On the women's side, Cinthia Adame, Judith Chumba, Diana Galloso, Hilda Galloso, Shayna Parker, Mekka Edwards-White, Michelle Zamora and Daphne Payton will be competing.

"The team has an extremely positive vibe right now, but there is that nervous energy and anticipation for this weekend," said head cross country coach Dave Hartman.

"All season long, we've had a solid season, but we haven't really had that one big race where five runners fire on all cylinders in one day. I am eagerly anticipating that this will be the weekend."

The field for the Great West Conference Championship will consist of UTPA, Chicago State, South Dakota, North Dakota, Utah Valley, Houston Baptist, Seattle, and host school NJIT.

UTPA Sports Information