![Coach Heather Van Norman will guide the Green Wave cross country teams this Saturday at the Conference USA Championship. [File photo by Ned Dishman]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Ftulanegreenwave.com%2Fimages%2F2004%2F10%2F28%2F67352.jpeg&height=300&type=webp)
Green Wave Cross Country Teams Head to C-USA Championship
Oct 28, 2004 | Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2004
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University men's and women's cross country teams will be in action this Saturday at the 10th annual Conference USA Championship in Palos Hills, Ill. The Championship is being hosted by DePaul University at the Palos Hills Forest Preserve. The women's 6K race will begin at 9:30 a.m. (CST) and includes the 14 C-USA women's programs. The 8K men's competition begins at 10:30 a.m. (CST) and will include competitors from 12 C-USA schools (all except Southern Miss and UAB).
Youth will lead Tulane's women's squad as four freshmen are among the Green Wave's six competitors. The men's team has a bit more experience but still remains very young as it features five sophomores and a junior.
Freshman Rachel Bryan has been the Green Wave's top finisher in all five races in which she has competed this season. She opened her career by winning the Tulane Invitational and the Southern Miss Invitational. Classmate Aubrey Phillips has also turned in an impressive freshman campaign, as she was the Wave's second finisher in every race this year.
Junior Lisa Green, who is making a return from injury, is the veteran in the lineup, having run in two C-USA Championships prior to this season. She was the Wave's top finisher in last year's race earning 18th place with a time of 22:05.30. Senior Sarah Bumby, who continued to improve each race, will be making her first appearance in the championship since joining the team as a walk-on two years ago.
"The women are very, very young," coach Heather Van Norman said. "We just need to continue doing what we have been doing all season, just keep improving."
Another pair of freshmen round out the women's lineup: Helen Kenworthy has scored in all three of her races this fall while Ashley Porter has run in just one race but turned in a strong performance at the UNO Invitational.
For the Green Wave men, junior Philip Aagaard is expected to lead the charge. Aagaard has been the Wave's top finisher in all four of his races this year as well as nine of his last 11 appearances for Tulane. The Linkoping, Sweden, product led the Green Wave at last year's championship, taking 38th place with a time of 26:37.60.
"The men are also a very young team," Van Norman said. "We want to improve on what we did last year and with the runners we have and how they have developed, that is very possible."
Following Aagaard thus far this season has been a talented sophomore class led by 2003 Louisiana Freshman of the Year Tyler Chapman, who led the Wave at the Auburn Invitational earlier this season. Kevin Martes has been Tulane's No. 2 finisher in a pair of races this year and joins Chapman as the only Green Wave runners to score in every race this year.
Brett Guy, Mike Moore and Dave Posnick will round out the Tulane men's cross country contingent at the race as all three are making their debuts in the championship. They will look to help the Wave improve on its 10th place finish of a year ago.
The Tulane women finished seventh last season.
Marquette will look to defend both the men's and women's team titles after the Golden Eagles won both races in Tampa last season. It was Marquette's first title on the men's side, while the women have won five straight and seven of league's nine team titles overall.
Both individual champions from last year's race will return this season to defend their titles. Ironically, both champions are the reigning C-USA Athletes of the Week entering the championship races.
TCU's Mary Kinyanjui won the women's 6K race in a time of 20:45.40. The senior from Kiambu, Kenya enters the championship with the league's top time in the 6K this season after posting a 20:37.80 at the Chili Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., two weeks ago.
On the men's side, Kyle MacKenzie was the first East Carolina athlete to win the individual title last season as he covered the 8K course in 25.07.20. The senior will try to defend his crown in his home state, after the Crystal Lake native clocked his best 8K time of the season in a Pirates' team victory at the North Carolina Collegiate Championships two weeks ago.
Conference USA Cross Country Rankings are compiled and updated each week by Flash Results and Data. For the most recent times and rankings, go to www.flashresults.com/flashtexas.
