Oct. 28, 2005

The cross country teams will have the honor of competing for Saint Louis University's first Atlantic 10 Championship this Sat., Oct. 29, when they run in the 2005 A-10 Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia. Steve Vargas (Folsom, Calif. / Jesuit) has been the Billikens' top runner in the first five meets this season and has a season-best time of 25:55, which ranks sixth on the all-time SLU list. For the women, Laura Coyer (Burnsville, Minn. / Apple Valley) has been the team's top finisher in all five meets and has recorded a season-best 19:00 this season.

The 28th annual Men's Cross Country Championship will begin at 9 a.m. (CT) on Belmont Plateau's 8,000-meter course. La Salle seeks to become the first-ever program to win six consecutive A-10 titles after placing seven runners in the top 10 at last year's Championship. Senior John Ciccarelli of Richmond was the 2004 individual champion with a time of 25:30. The Billikens will be joined by fellow A-10 newcomer Charlotte as well as Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Temple and Xavier.

The 17th running of the Women's Cross Country Championship will begin at 9:45 a.m. (CT).The women's race is 5,000 meters. La Salle is the defending champion, and Explorer junior Rachel Papin claimed the individual title in a time of 17:48. In addition to the Billikens, Charlotte and Temple will also compete in their first-ever A-10 Women's Cross Country Championships. Dayton, Fordham, George Washington, Massachusetts, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's and Xavier round out the field.