Sept. 21, 2005

ATHENS - After participating in two meets on the road, the men's and women's cross country teams return to Athens Saturday as they play host to five schools at the Ohio University Golf and Tennis Facility.

Returning from last year's meet will be Alderson-Broaddus, Concord, Robert Morris and West Virginia Wesleyan. Rio Grande is the fifth school to accept the invitation. All of them will be participating in the men's and women's divisions.

This year, the Ohio Invitational has moved from West State Street Park to Ohio University's golf course, which is located on the Hocking River. The start and finish will take place behind the clubhouse.

"We are always excited to run at home," said Head Coach Clay Calkins. "It's very exciting to be back on the golf course. We used to run on there, and now we are back on it. I think we have a great shot at winning it, both on the men's and women's side."

The Bobcat men will be approaching the meet poised to win. The men have won the previous two Ohio Invites and are coming off a victory at the 80th Annual Central Collegiate Invitational. The past weekend was their best finish outside of Athens since 2002.

"It was great for the men," Calkins said. "I'm sure it was a confidence booster. To finish ahead of several MAC teams was a great accomplishment, especially early in the season. I think they ran better than expected. It was the first meet for our top seven, and they finished quite well running as a team."

At the meet in Toledo, Jason Linton (Vincent), Brian King (Richfield, Minn.) and Austin Schiele (Hudson) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, creating an opportune situation. Craig Leon (Van Wert) and Brian List (Milford) also contributed with quality finishes, placing ninth and 17th, respectively.

"When they can run as a pack, the closer your spread is as far as time goes, the better off you are going to be," said Calkins.

On the women's side, Andrea Maas (Cincinnati) and Carime Reinhart (Bascom) have led the team with excellent runs. Maas won her second career title at the Xavier Invitational, her best finish since 2003. Reinhart ran under 18 minutes to finish second at the Central Collegiate to become the 10th fastest woman in Ohio women's cross country history.

"Both of those top runners trained hard this summer, and it's showing this time of year," said Calkins. "With that said, the entire women's team is looking pretty good. It's going to be an exciting year for both our women's and men's teams. It's a tough conference on the women's side, but it will be good."

The women have more depth than in the past, and so far the runners have not disappointed. Seniors Ali Green (Lancaster) and Lauren Birnie (Worthington) each posted one of their best times ever this past weekend, and freshmen Rachel Beakas (Waterville) and Julia Weisenborn (Bowling Green) both made quality finishes under 20 minutes in their first meets as Bobcats. Runners like Kendra Churchill (Dublin) and Alicia Myers (Hilliard) also provide experience on the squad. Calkins hopes the depth will carry the team to victory Saturday.

"The women's side is going to be a little tougher," he said. "We are resting a few of the top seven athletes, but we'll see what happens. We have some good people running. Andrea Maas is running again this week. I hope she has her second win of the season. That would be great for her."

The weekend action begins Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the women's 5K race. The men will follow with an 8K run at 10:45 a.m.

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