KENNESAW,Ga.- Just a week removed from a ninth place finish at the Greater Louisville Classic, the men’s cross country team hits the grass again at the Samford Invitational Oct 9. Serving as a preview for the NCAA South regional meet, the men will be able to get a glimpse of the course in Hoover, Ala. that could give them an advantage towards their postseason endeavors.

Competing at Veterans Park for the first time, the team will face off against four squads from Alabama. Head cross country coach Stan Sims realizes what having this time on the course this weekend may mean for the team later on in the season.   

“This is a preview race for both the men since we have never competed on this course,” Sims said. “We raced hard at Louisville so we are using this race as a tune-up for conference. We will be resting some men runners for this meet but we are looking for a strong effort from the rest of the squad.”

Running without Nathan Haskins, who finished 14th for the Owls last week, the team will look to fellow All-Conference runners Nabil Hamid, Jaakko Nieminen and Piotr Witczak to lead the way. Despite not having their top runner, the Owls look to make a splash at the Samford Invitational after nine of 10 runners made personal records last weekend.

Even though this meet is important for their regular season schedule, junior Nieminen also realizes how important it is for their Regionals hopes as well.

“I'm looking forward to previewing the course in Hoover this weekend,” Nieminen said. “At least for me and for my team, it's the most important place of the season in five weeks because it will give us a chance to see what the course is like before the big meet at Regionals. It's still a long way, but we are getting there patiently. The Greater Louisville Classic showed we are headed in the right direction."


Quick Facts

Event Name: Samford Invitational

Host: Samford University

Location: Veterans Park

Start Time: 7:30 A.M. CST

Distance: 8k

2009 Owl Finish, Score: N/A

2009 Owl Top Finishers: N/A

Schools Participating (5): Alabama A&M, Birmingham-Southern College, Kennesaw State, Samford University, UAB