Temple University Athletics
Friday, October 31
Tulsa, Okla. (University of Tulsa)
11:50 a.m.
Temple University
at
American Athletic Conference Championships
Cross Country Teams Head to American Athletic Conference Championship This Weekend
10.29.14 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
PHILADELPHIAÂ - Temple's men's and women's cross country teams will be competing in the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championship this Friday, Oct. 31, at the Mohawk Sports Complex in Tulsa, Okla. Both races will be streamed live and for free at:Â http://www.theamerican.org/XC, which is also the Tournament Central website. The women's 6K race will begin at 11 a.m. EST, while the men's 8K race is set for 11:50 a.m. EST.
The live steam will feature coverage of the race, awards ceremonies and post-race interviews. The coverage is available on desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Fans can also follow along on Twitter at @AmericanXCTrack.Â
The Owls have competed in four races heading into this weekend. Both teams have been training over the past two weeks, working hard to set themselves up for success at the upcoming conference meet.
"The progress all year has been geared toward running well in our championship meets," said coach James Snyder. "The conference meet kicks off our championship season and gives us a chance to compete with the best runners in the country and in our conference. Hopefully we get a chance to contend for running up near the front of the race."
Juniors Alex Izewski and Matt Kacyon are coming off of yet another strong performance for Temple. At the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 10 they finished as the top two runners overall. Izewski won the 5.2 mile race out of 34 competitors in a time of 26:20. Kacyon was not far behind in second place, finishing in 26:29.
"We're kind of at a unique spot where we've got two guys who both have invitational wins this year, who are going to toe the line in a couple days with the chance to really make some noise at our conference meet," said Snyder. "I'm looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out down at Tulsa."
Izewski hopes to keep his success and momentum going for this Friday's meet. The junior earned the American Athletic Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week award for Oct. 21 following his first-place performance at the Penn State National Invitational.Â
"I am feeling pretty confident about how I've been performing and the way training has been going," said Izewski. "I believe everything has been adding up for me to be able to perform well at the conference meet. I'm really excited and looking forward to this weekend."
On the women's side, senior Jenna Dubrow and freshman Catherine Pinson have been leading the way all season for the Owls. Dubrow and Pinson have been the top-two finishers for the women's team in each of the four races Temple has competed in this fall.Â
"It's been awesome to have Jenna to chase," said Pinson. "She's consistent and comfortable in her training, so having her in front of me has been super helpful for me in order to progress throughout the season."
Dubrow and Pinson each posted a top-five finish at the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 10. Dubrow finished the 6K race second overall out of 40 runners with a time of 21:59, while Pinson finished fifth in 22:33.Â
"I am excited for this weekend and nervous at the same time," said Dubrow. "Since this is my fourth conference meet I definitely know what to expect, which is comforting. I know that I can place high. It's just a matter of actually going out, feeling good that day and achieving that."
At last year's inaugural Cross Country American Athletic Conference Championship, the men's team placed seventh, led by Will Kellar who placed 21st among 67 runners at the meet. For the women, Anna Pavone was the top finisher for the Owls in 18th place and Dubrow finished 23rd out of 75 competitors.
Men's Cross Country Championships - Video Preview
Â
The live steam will feature coverage of the race, awards ceremonies and post-race interviews. The coverage is available on desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Fans can also follow along on Twitter at @AmericanXCTrack.Â
The Owls have competed in four races heading into this weekend. Both teams have been training over the past two weeks, working hard to set themselves up for success at the upcoming conference meet.
"The progress all year has been geared toward running well in our championship meets," said coach James Snyder. "The conference meet kicks off our championship season and gives us a chance to compete with the best runners in the country and in our conference. Hopefully we get a chance to contend for running up near the front of the race."
Juniors Alex Izewski and Matt Kacyon are coming off of yet another strong performance for Temple. At the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 10 they finished as the top two runners overall. Izewski won the 5.2 mile race out of 34 competitors in a time of 26:20. Kacyon was not far behind in second place, finishing in 26:29.
"We're kind of at a unique spot where we've got two guys who both have invitational wins this year, who are going to toe the line in a couple days with the chance to really make some noise at our conference meet," said Snyder. "I'm looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out down at Tulsa."
Izewski hopes to keep his success and momentum going for this Friday's meet. The junior earned the American Athletic Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week award for Oct. 21 following his first-place performance at the Penn State National Invitational.Â
"I am feeling pretty confident about how I've been performing and the way training has been going," said Izewski. "I believe everything has been adding up for me to be able to perform well at the conference meet. I'm really excited and looking forward to this weekend."
On the women's side, senior Jenna Dubrow and freshman Catherine Pinson have been leading the way all season for the Owls. Dubrow and Pinson have been the top-two finishers for the women's team in each of the four races Temple has competed in this fall.Â
"It's been awesome to have Jenna to chase," said Pinson. "She's consistent and comfortable in her training, so having her in front of me has been super helpful for me in order to progress throughout the season."
Dubrow and Pinson each posted a top-five finish at the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 10. Dubrow finished the 6K race second overall out of 40 runners with a time of 21:59, while Pinson finished fifth in 22:33.Â
"I am excited for this weekend and nervous at the same time," said Dubrow. "Since this is my fourth conference meet I definitely know what to expect, which is comforting. I know that I can place high. It's just a matter of actually going out, feeling good that day and achieving that."
At last year's inaugural Cross Country American Athletic Conference Championship, the men's team placed seventh, led by Will Kellar who placed 21st among 67 runners at the meet. For the women, Anna Pavone was the top finisher for the Owls in 18th place and Dubrow finished 23rd out of 75 competitors.
Men's Cross Country Championships - Video Preview
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
MBB Press Conference vs. Saint Francis (Adam Fisher)
Sunday, December 14
MBB Press Conference vs. Saint Francis (Derrian Ford & Gavin Griffiths)
Sunday, December 14
Ep. 28: Vice President/Debbie & Stanley Lefkowitz '65 Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson
Friday, December 12
Ep. 27: Men's Crew Student-Athlete Adam Curran
Thursday, December 11
