Keene State to host LEC Alliance Cross Country Championships on Saturday

                Keene, N.H. 10/28/09 - One race will be a walk in the park while the other will be a dogfight.  That's how Owl Cross Country Coach Peter Thomas sees Saturday's Little East Alliance championship hosted by Keene State College unfolding on the Owl Athletic Complex course.  The women's race starts at 11 a.m. while the gun for the men's race goes off at noon.

                The Owl women will be racing for their 10th straight LEC championship.  Keene State has dominated the decade winning the crown every year since 2000. 

                Keene State, ranked eighth regionally, appears to be getting healthy at just the right time.  Junior Alli Chamberlain of Scarborough, Maine and sophomore Paige Mills, a Keene native, returned to the trails last Saturday, leading the Owls to the Saratoga Invitational title.

                Chamberlain says Saturday's LEC race will be another stepping stone for the Owls as they prepare for the NCAA Regionals.  "I have a lot of confidence in my team and believe that we are among the top three teams in the region at this point," said Chamberlain, the LEC runner of the week.  "The meet this weekend is one more chance to improve on our times and gain some confidence."

                Sophomore Andrea Walsh (Bolton, Conn.), junior Amy Knoblock (Plymouth, Mass.), and freshman Maggie Fitter (Branford, Conn.), the LEC rookie runner of the week, are expected to join Chamberlain and Mills in the Owls' lead pack.

                The Keene State men will once again battle Southern Maine for LEC bragging rights. After claiming nine consecutive LEC championships from 1997 to 2005, the Owls relinquished the crown to USM in 2007 and 2008.  Last year, KSC won back the title, edging the Huskies 35-27. 

                Keene State is ranked sixth in New England while Southern Maine holds down the second sport regionally and is 17th in the latest national poll.

                "These are two pretty even teams, so it's anyone race, said Thomas.  "I'm going to have to bark them down the last half mile into their sprints."

                Keene State lead group will include senior Jared Samuel (Londonderry, N.H.), the LEC runner of the week, juniors Jeff Trethewey (Merrimack, N.H.), Eric MacKnight (Newtown, N.H.) and Brandon Schillemat (Nelson, N.H.), and sophomore Kevin Hoyt (Newtown, Conn.).

                "Winning the LEC championship would be great confidence booster for our team because USM is one of the top teams in the region," said Samuel.  "It would be great to get another championship for KSC, but our main focus is getting back to nationals. The team is well aware of what we need to do get back to the nationals and the LEC meet will give us another chance to work on some things that will help us perform better in bigger meets."

                Southern Maine is led by senior Tyler Jasud, a three-time LEC runner of the week.

                This will be the third meeting between the Owls and the Huskies on the trails.  Earlier this season at the KSC Invitational, the Owls won the meet with 44 points while USM placed fourth (70 points).  Southern Maine turned the tables on the Owls at the New England Championships.  The Huskies posted a program-best seventh place finish with 312 points while KSC was way back in the pack, placing 17th with 492 points.