The University of Mississippi Athletics
Cross Country Season Begins Friday
9/2/2010 | Track and Field
Sept. 2, 2010
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's and women's cross country teams will kick off their season Friday at the Arkansas Tech Twilight Run in Russellville, Ark.
Defending SEC Cross Country Champion Barnabas Kirui will lead the way again for the men in 2010, his final year of eligibility. The Litein, Kenya native was the 2009 SEC Cross Country Athlete of the Year and earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Championships.
Junior Martin Kirui, Barnabas' brother, joins the cross country squad this season, while the Rebels also expect strong results from senior Chad Berry.
"We are obviously excited to have Barnabas back for his senior season," Ole Miss head coach Joe Walker said. "Martin came in January of last year and had a great outdoor season. We are looking forward to seeing how well he runs in cross country this year. Chad should be one of our top runners this year, and we have a lot of new people that we are eager to see compete."
On the women's side, Ole Miss returns its top runner from last season in junior Logan Waites. Three of the top four contributors from last year are back for the Rebels, including senior Allison Kneip and sophomore Anne Threlkeld.
"We are glad to be returning three of our top four on the women's side, and we look forward to seeing how much our new people can contribute to the team this year," Walker said.
The cross country team will travel to five meets throughout September and October before the SEC Championships on Nov. 1. This year's league championships are hosted by South Carolina in Columbia.