Temple University Athletics
Temple University
American Athletic Conference Championship
Cross Country Teams Head to American Athletic Conference Championships This Weekend
10.30.13 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
PHILADELPHIA - The first-ever American Athletic Conference Championships will feature men's and women's cross country, and Temple is set to compete in that meet on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Conn. Both races will be streamed live and for free at: http://www.theamerican.org/XC, which is also the Tournament Central website. The men's 8k race is set for 11:00 a.m., while the women's 6k race will begin at 11:50 a.m.
The live stream will be completely free of charge and will feature coverage of the race, the awards ceremonies and post-race interviews. Fans can also follow along on Twitter at @American_Champs.
The Owls have four races under their belts heading into this weekend. The veterans of each team have so far led the way, but both squads have also seen some strong performances from less-seasoned runners.
"First and and foremost, this will be a great opportunity to see where we stack up," said assisant coach James Snyder. "It's our first meet in the new conference and I really don't know what we're up against."Â
On the women's side, junior Jenna Dubrow and senior Anna Pavone are coming off two impressive finishes in their last two races. At the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 5, Dubrow and Pavone placed 13th and 20th, respectively, and Dubrow earned American Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week honors following that performance. Two weeks later, Pavone and Dubrow placed fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Leopard Invitational hosted by Lafayette.
"Just in looking at results, I think we have a great opportunity to finish in the top half of the women's race as a team," said Snyder, "which would be a much better result for us than in the past. I think we can make a statement with the program moving forward. I also think Jenna and Anna can both finish high enough to earn All-Conference."
Senior Will Kellar has been the top finisher for the men's team in all four races so far this season. Most recently, he placed fifth at the Leopard Invitational, after placing 35th at the Paul Short Invitational.Â
"On the guys side, we're a lot younger," said Snyder. "It will be more about getting the experience, competing and setting the tone for where we want to go. With one senior and no juniors, getting experience at this level is important moving forward. We're not at the point yet where we'd win the conference meet or finish in the top three, but we look to take advantage of this opportunity and get to that point down the road."
At last year's Atlantic 10 Championships, the men's team placed fourth, led by Travis Mahoney who won the individual title. Kellar also earned All-Conference honors, placing 14th among 136 runners at that meet. On the women's side, Dubrow and Pavone placed 25th and 40th, respectively, at the A-10 Championships.
