Hewamudalige, Owls Ready for C-USA Championships
10/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 27, 2005
Houston -
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Rice senior Marcel Hewamudalige will try to add a Conference USA crown to the WAC title he won last year as he leads the Owls in the 2005 C-USA cross country championships Saturday at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
Hewamudalige, who was 42nd at the NCAA championships last year after winning the WAC, helped Rice to a team trophy in the squad's final WAC meet. He has been the Owls' number-one runner this season, and placed fifth at the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind., on Oct. 15.
"We know Marcel will be in the hunt for another individual title," said Rice head coach Jon Warren. "Our real task is to try and upset UTEP, which has to be considered the favorite going in. If we can keep a tight pack behind Marcel and get our fifth man up close to the UTEP number-four runner, we will be in with a shot."
Sophomore transfer Charles Hampton has been a solid number-two runner, and the Owls will count on senior David Axel to return from injury at full speed. Colby Keithan and Pablo Solares should also be in the team's top five.
UTEP is ranked tenth nationally in the most recent coaches association poll, while Rice is ranked fourth in the south central region.
The eight-kilometer championship race is slated to start at 9 am ET. Tulane was originally scheduled to host the meet in New Orleans, but the event was moved to Orlando after Hurricane Katrina. Full meet results will be available at www.conferenceusa.com and www.ucfsports.com following Saturday's meet.
Players Mentioned
