Nov. 1, 2002

The race has been visualized a thousand times. Long hours have been spent training. All that's left is to run. The cross-country teams head to Troy, Ala., this Saturday with the goal of winning the Atlantic Sun.

Coach Glenn McWaters has been telling the teams all week that the work has been done and that the runners are prepared.

"We're going in there to have fun," McWaters said. "We've had a hard season of training. The key this weekend is to relax, enjoy the season we've had and reap the benefits of the hard work that we've done."

Projecting a winner this weekend is not easy, McWaters said. But he does expect one thing: Samford will be in the thick of things in both the men's and women's races.

Working in its favor for the men's race is the fact that Samford had eight sub-26 minute times in its last race at the Auburn Invitational on Oct. 19.

'We're going in there to have fun. The key is to relax, enjoy the season and reap the benefits of the hard work that we've done.' Coach Glenn McWaters

"That probably won't happen again this weekend because this is a much tougher course," said McWaters. "We're trying to get the same 26-second spread between our first and fifth runner. If we can get our number one runner in the top five and then have a 26-second spread then that is what we are looking for."

There are other strong teams and individuals in the race. Belmont has an exceptional runner, senior William Kemey, the defending A-Sun individual champion. McWaters is aware of Kemey's ability and the impact he can have on the race.

"In a smaller race like the conference race we have 80 or so competitiors," said McWaters. "And there are 20 or so runners that we're concerned with. If Kemey's a number one, we're going to have somebody who's a five or six. There's only a difference of a few numbers. So we can be much more competitive when we're in a smaller race."

Teams to look out for in the men's race besides Belmont include Georgia State, the defending team champion, and Troy State.

Erin Giesa (left) and Lauren Floyd

The women's race will be a toss-up. With so many underclassmen having an impact this season, it's hard to tell who will come out on top. The first five A-Sun runners of the week were freshman, including Samford' s Michelle Brewer for the week of Sept. 17.

"I don't see any clear-cut favorites," McWaters said. "Belmont was the team last year that you could look at and say 'They are going to win it'. They're not as strong this year. I think they're red-shirting their top two runners. They're running well, but they're not unbeatable."

The strategy for the women this week is for junior Brittney Mensen, a notorious fast starter, to hold back and run with freshmen Michelle and Jessica Brewer for the first mile or so before making her move.

"Brittney is so talented that she could win the race," McWaters said. "And if she has the right mind-set this weekend she could really help us."

With Mensen and the Brewers expected to lead the team, two of the other women must run exceptionally well for the Bulldogs to win. "Lauren Floyd is capable of being our number one runner on the team," McWaters said. "She is a top-notch runner. We have some girls like our two other freshmen, Connie Heiskell and Jessica Jansen, who have been running really well. Our senior Erin Giesa can step up and do what she's done in the past. We have the capability of winning the thing, finishing second, or finishing third."