August 27, 2007
Contact: Greg Murphy
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THE STARTING LINE: The Cleveland State women's cross country team will open the 2007 season this weekend when they compete at the Bill Sudeck Invitational in Cleveland Heights. Case Western Reserve University will serve as the host of the race, which is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am.
LAST TIME OUT: The Cleveland State women's cross country program took its first step toward becoming competitive in the Horizon League by placing eighth in the team standings at the league championship meet on Saturday (Oct. 28) in Indianapolis, Ind. It marked the first time since the 1997 MCC Championships that the Vikings finished ahead of a league foe.
THE HEAD COACH: Joe Jaketic is in his third year as the head coach of the Viking women's cross country team. Last season, he guided the squad to an eighth place showing at the Horizon League Championships. Although it is just his third season as women's cross country coach, Jaketic is certainly a veteran of CSU athletics. He is now in his 36th season overseeing the department's equipment operations.
JAKETIC ON THE VIKINGS: "I am very excited about the upcoming season. We have been training very hard in the preseason and I am extremely pleased with the way the team has responded."
WELCOME BACK, JULIE: Sophomore Julie Piotrowski will return to the squad this year after running just one race last season, the Bill Sudeck Invitational, due to an injury. Piotrowski was the second CSU finisher at the event last season as she clocked a time of 21:04. She sat out the rest of the season as a redshirt.
LUCK OF THE IRISH: Sophomore Colleen Conway, who placed 42nd at last year's Horizon League Championships, is one of the top returners for the Vikings this season. She ran a season-best time of 20:59 at last year's Falcon Invitational.
UP NEXT: The Vikings will return to action at the Crusader Invitational next Saturday (Sept. 7). The event, hosted by Valparaiso, is slated to begin at 6:00 pm.
