Cross Country Teams to Open Season with Hurricane Festival
8/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Aug. 28, 2003
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa cross country teams will both open the 2003 season at home with the annual Hurricane Festival at Mohawk Park on Saturday, August 30, morning. The festival will start at 7:45 a.m. with an open race for adults. The collegiate section of the festival starts at 8:30 a.m. with college men's race, followed by the college women at 9:00 a.m. Area high schools will begin racing at approximately 9:30 a.m., with the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors all competing in separate races. The junior high schools and middle schools will compete at 10:50 a.m.
TU's men's cross country squad has opened each of the past three seasons by winning the event. In addition to winning three consecutive team titles, Tulsa has won three straight individual crowns as well. Andy Norman took top individual honors, last year, with a time of 19:44, just ahead of teammate Owain Matthews (Luton, England) with a time of 20:00. The Hurricane has posted nine top-five finishers during the current streak, including six of the top-10 placings in 2002.
The Tulsa women will look to improve on last season's second place finish at the Hurricane Festival, when they open the 2003 campaign at Mohawk Park on Saturday as well. TU has finished second in two of the past three years at the meet. The Golden Hurricane claimed two top-10 spots a season ago. The top TU runner was then-freshman Tami Scott (Amherst Junction, Wisc.) in fifth place with a time of 11:22.
Collegiate teams from Kansas State, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State as well as runners from Rhema Bible College will compete in addition the Golden Hurricane.
