Maryland Cross Country To Host Sole Home Meet Of Season

Oct. 16, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After two meets of separate travel, the men's and women's cross country frontrunners will rejoin the Terp reserves to run in this year's Maryland Invitational on Oct. 19. The Invitational, held at the University Golf Course, is the Terps' only home meet of the season. Last year Maryland teams turned in their highest finishes of the season at this meet, and this year the Terps aim to sweep both races.

The 2002 Maryland Invitational

This year's Invite will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the University Golf Course. The women's 5,000 meter race will begin at 9:00 a.m., and the men's 8,000 meter race will begin at 9:45 a.m. The course opens for viewing prior to the women's race, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.

Including Maryland, there will be 12 women's teams and 11 men's teams competing in the meet. In the men's race, the top-ranked team is American, which currently holds sixth place in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Terps are the top-ranked school in the women's race, now ranked seventh in the Mid-Atlantic.

The meet serves as the teams' final preparation for the 2002 ACC Championships, held at Georgia Tech on Saturday, Nov. 2.

If you would like to receive results following the Maryland Invitational, please email cross country S.I.D. Mary Smith, at marysmth@wam.umd.edu

A Look Back At Last Year's Invitational

The Maryland men finished second out of six teams at the 2001 Maryland Invitational, 46 points behind American. Coming in next to round out the top three was George Washington.

Francis Ciganek was the top finisher in the race for the Terps, earning fifth place with a 26:35.39. Also running well at the meet was Adam Ambrus (Shamong, N.J.), who placed 14th with a 27:22.95. Coming in right behind him in 15th was Mike Fleg (Clarksville, Md.) with a 27:24.94. Eric Marenburg (Peabody, Mass.) and Mike Prada (Fulton, Md.) finished in 20th and 21st, respectively.

The women's cross country team took first place last year, beating out six other schools to post the cross country teams' only win of the season. Coming in second was American, a mere seven points behind.

Kristin Lubas posted the fastest time for the Terps, a 19:45.06 that earned her fourth place overall. Lorna Dorland (Rockland, Me.) finished four seconds behind Lubas to take fifth place, and Monique Berry came in two seconds behind Dorland to capture sixth. Kim Smith (Glastonburg, Conn.), Bridget Baker (Elkridge, Md.) and Courtney Fiorovanti (Toms River, N.J.) also finished in the top 25 overall.

Leading The Pack

At this year's Maryland Invitational, the Terp women will most likely be led by freshmen Katie Purcell (Coraopolis, Pa.) and Cori Koch (Lutherville, Md.), who have turned in the top two fastest times for the Terps in each of their three meets this season. Purcell, named Student Athlete of the Week for the week of Sept. 30, is coming off a career-best time set at the Indiana State Invitational on Oct. 5. Freshman Allison Carney (Las Vegas, Nev.) and junior Kim Smith have also put in strong performances this season, and should be key players in this weekend's event.

On the men's side, sophomore Adam Ambrus has led the Terps in each of his three meets this year. Often finishing close behind him is junior Mike Prada, as well as Ambrus's roommate, sophomore Mike Fleg.

Indiana State Invitational Recap

Purcell and Koch led the women's team on Oct. 5 at the Indiana State Invitational in Terra Haute, Ind.. Purcell's new career-best time of 22:03.4 earned her 21st place overall, and Koch posted a 22:31.2 to take 40th out of 174 runners. Also finishing in the top 50 was Carney, in 44th place. Together, they led the team to a seventh place finish out of 20 schools, upsetting regional rival Navy by 24 points.

The men's team was paced by Ambrus and Fleg, who finished in 36th and 37th, respectively. Ambrus posted a 25:27.8, and Fleg came in only two seconds behind. Prada finished next for the Terps, in 54th place with a 25:42.5. The team placed 11th out of a field of 20, beating out host team Indiana State by 86 points.

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