APSU Sports: Women’s Cross Country
Brentwood, TN – The sophomore-dominated Austin Peay State University women’s cross country team was picked to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference’s preseason cross country coaches poll, released Thursday.
The Lady Govs received 41 points in the poll and were picked behind Eastern Kentucky (80 points), Eastern Illinois (74), Southeast Missouri (57), Murray State (56) and Jacksonville State (52). Austin Peay was picked to finish ahead of Tennessee Tech (37), UT Martin (24), Morehead State (20) and Tennessee State (nine).
Austin Peay women’s squad returns every runner from last season’s team that finished sixth in the OVC cross country championships – the program’s best finish in the championship since 2002. Another year of experience will only benefit a Lady Govs team that will be led by senior Janelle Avery, who led the team with a 24th-place finish in the championship. She will pace a squad that also has a junior and six sophomores. Clarksville-product Xiamar Richards, one of those sophomores, will be called upon to repeat her 2010 effort that saw her finish 25th in the championship as a freshman.
“It’s really not surprising that EKU is picked number one as they won the women’s championship and they have almost everyone back,” said Govs head coach Doug Molnar. “We have all of our women back and a year of experience should only help us as we compete this season. It should be an interesting year in the OVC as there have been a number of coaching changes. It all comes down to the last weekend in October.”
Austin Peay opens its 2011 schedule at the Belmont Opener, September 2nd, at Nashville’s Percy Warner Park. The 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championships will be held October 29th in Richmond, KY with Eastern Kentucky serving as the host.
