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CCSU runners peak
for Peach Belt meet
The Clayton
College & State University cross country squads will be making their
ninth appearance in the Peach Belt Conference Championships this Saturday
and both teams will be in serious contention for the conference title.
The title meet will be run at the nearby Georgia State University Panthersville
course at Georgia Regional Hospital with Kennesaw State University serving
as host school. The women's 5K race will begin at 9 a.m., followed with
the men's 8K race at 10 a.m.
The University of North Florida is the pre-meet favorite for the women's
title while Kennesaw State is favored in the men's event. The Lakers have
senior Tony Juarez of East Hazel Crest, Ill. who has a serious shot at
becoming Clayton State's first individual Peach Belt champ as he enters
Saturday's meet with the fastest time run by a PBC male runner this season.
Both Lakers squads have legitimate chances at second place team finishes
which combined would be the best finish to date in the PBC championship
meet for CCSU. Last year, both teams finished third.
The Lady Lakers have had more success than their male counterparts the
past two seasons and particularly when the meet has been run on the Panthersville
course. Two previous times — 1996 and 2001 — the Clayton State
women have placed second as a team at Panthersville.
“We’re hoping that third time’s the charm,” said head
coach Mike Mead. “We’ve run very well the past three meets and
it appears we’re peaking at the right time. Only time will tell come
Saturday. We're a little banged up on both teams, but who isn't at this
time of the season. If all of our runners follow our game plan, we should
make it an interesting finish.”
The Lady Lakers have had a strong one-two combination in Heather Krehbiel
and Kim Daniel. Krehbiel, a sophomore from Peachtree City and Starr’s
Mill High, has had another stellar season. She has led the women's team
in four of five meets this season that includes a career and team-best
18:25.13 for 5K and two individual wins. Daniel, a junior from Macon,
ran 18:53.80 to earn her second consecutive “All-State” honor
at the Georgia Collegiate Championships earlier this month on the Panthersville
course.
Perhaps the surprise runner of the season for the lady Lakers has been
sophomore Melissa Shaw of Morrow. In her first collegiate season of cross
country, Shaw has a best time of 19:06.33 and could figure in for All-PBC
honors on Saturday. Shaw is backed by senior Penny Tinker, a junior from
Mesa, Ariz. who ran 19:13.40 last weekend; junior Stephanie Gilbert from
Jonesboro who broke 20:00 for the first time in her career last Saturday
with a 19:52.03 clocking and freshman Tanika Smit from Benoni, South Africa
who ran a career-best 20:04.30 last week. Rounding out Clayton State's
Top 7 for Saturday is junior Brittany Precht from Smyrna.
Saturday’s conference meet will award the Top 15 women’s finishers
and the Top 11 men’s finishers with All-PBC honors. A total of 11
Clayton State women have garnered All-PBC honors 15 times while six men
have garnered all-conference honors nine times in previous Peach Belt
meets.
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