Cards to Open Pre-Season Conditioning Camp on Monday
August 11, 2006 | Cross Country
Aug. 11, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's and women's cross country program will officially begin its preparations for the 2006 season with a pre-season conditioning camp on Aug. 14-18 at Lincoln State Park in Lincoln City, Ind.
The Cardinal runners and coaching staff will arrive at Lincoln State Park on the afternoon of Aug. 14 for five days of conditioning and training in advance of U of L's 2006 season-opening event, the Indiana 5K on Sept. 1 in Bloomington, Ind.
"Our primary goals for the conditioning camp include clarifying our team goals and communicating to the team our philosophy and training methods which we will carry throughout the season," U of L head coach Ron Mann, entering his third season with the Cards. "For 2006, we hope to improve upon last year's performances and finish in the upper echelon of the BIG EAST. We'd like for our men's team to be a true contender for the conference title and earn a berth into the NCAA Championships."
The Cardinal men's team, which finished fourth in the BIG EAST and sixth at the NCAA Southeast Regional in 2005, returns five of its top six runners from 2005, including All-BIG EAST performers Cory Thorne and Wesley Korir. Joining the Cards for 2006 will be Lindenwood University transfer Soimo Kiplagat, the 2004 and 2005 NAIA national cross country champion, and highly regarded freshman Michael Eaton, a two-time Foot Locker National Championship qualifier and a member of the 2006 U.S. Junior National team, from Bowling Green, Ky.
"With our men's team, we have a pretty strong indication of where we stand based on our returning athletes and the addition of two very talented runners in Soimo and Michael," Mann said. "The BIG EAST is one of the strongest cross country conferences in the nation, and we're also in a very strong NCAA region. We are excited about hosting the NCAA Southeast Regional on Nov. 11 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park (site of both of Kiplagat's NAIA championships) here in Louisville, and we hope that can play in our favor."
The Cardinal women's team faces a different challenge than the men with only three returning runners from 2005. Joining those returnees is a very talented class of freshmen led by Tarah McKay of St. Clements, Ont., a three-year member of Canada's IAAF World Cross Country team and third-place finisher at the 2005 Canadian Cross Country Championships.
"We have a significant number of newcomers for 2006 on our women's squad and one of the key points we will stress will be the dynamics of our team," Mann said. "With so many new runners, it's important that we build strong team chemistry and understand the team goals. Right now, the overall strength of our women's team in 2006 is truly an unknown."
Along with the NCAA Southeast Regional in November, the city of Louisville, UofL and "Tom" Sawyer Park will also host the annual Greater Louisville Classic on Sept. 30, which will feature a number of the nation's top cross country teams.
Players Mentioned
