Directions to Southern Hills
Weekly team notes (PDF)

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The hills at Southern Hills Golf Course will present plenty of challenges Friday afternoon as the Tennessee Tech men's and women's cross country teams host the seventh annual TTU Invitational, starting at 3 p.m.

Southern Hills will also be the site of the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 30, so league teams coming to this week's race will have an opportunity to test the layout. The women will run a 5K race, followed by the men's 8K run.

"This can be a tough and challenging course," said Golden Eagle head coach Tony Cox. "There are a couple of hills that present a real test to the runners. We've run the TTU Invitational here for several years and we've heard really good comments from the visiting teams.

"It's also a pretty good layout for spectators to watch the races," Cox added.

The Tech teams have competed in two events this fall, and freshmen runners have set the pace for both the women's and men's squads.

For the Golden Eagle women's squad, freshman Peri Winborne has been the top finisher at both the University of the South and Western Kentucky. A four-time state qualifier during her prep career at Knoxville Farragut High School, Winborne ran a 6K time of 23:54.73 at Sewanee, and covered the WKU 5K course in 20:29.30.

Five other newcomers were also among the women's team leaders the first two meets of the year. They include freshmen Rebecca Cline from Spring Hill, Emily Williams from Talbott, and Amelia McCoy from Crossville, sophomore Beth Miller from Waterrtown, and junior Leah Bradley from McDonough, Ga.

Freshman Matthew Bishop has led the men's team at both races. He ran a time of 27:26.40 to finish ninth overall at Sewanee, and posted a time of 27:57.90 at Western Kentucky. He was also a four-time qualifier for the state meet, helping Morristown West High School steadily climb up the final standings each year until capturing the state championship last year.

Sam Taylor, a senior from Soddy-Daisy, and John Green, a sophomore from Friendsville, have each finished second on the squad this year. Taylor was the top finisher for Tech in six of seven meets last year, including a season-best time of 26:49 at Southern Hills during the 2009 TTU Invitational, which ranks among the Top 25 times (8K) in Tech history.

Other Tech runners who have run among the team leaders and are hoping for another strong showing Friday include freshmen Adam McLeod from Kingsport and Tyler Eads from Tullahoma, junior Daniel Francis from Morgantown, N.C., and seniors Joseph DeLorenzo from Crossville and Ben Shasserre from Oak Ridge.

There is no admission charge for spectators at the TTU Invitational.