Oct. 25, 2005

Houston - The University of Houston men's and women's cross country teams travel to Orlando, Fla. this Saturday, October 29, where they will compete in the Conference USA Championships at the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex.

The championship was originally scheduled to be held in New Orleans, but was forced to change venues following Hurricane Katrina.

The C-USA championship features a men's 8-kilometer race at 8 a.m. (Central), and a women's 5-kilometer race that begins at 8:45 a.m.

The 2005 C-USA men's championship features five teams ranked in the latest United States Cross Country Coaches Association's regional polls. UTEP, which is ranked 10th nationally, heads the list as the Miners are ranked third in the Mountain Region poll. Rice is ranked fourth and Houston is ranked 14th in the South Central Region. Tulsa is ranked 10th in the Midwest Region, and the host school, UCF, is ranked 14th in the South Region.

Houston is the defending champion and led by 2004 C-USA cross country Athlete of the Year, Sesar Figueroa, who knocked nearly 35 seconds off his career best 10-kilometer time in his last race at the Arkansas Chili Pepper Invitational on October 15. Figueroa is looking to earn All-Conference USA honors for the third straight year.

The women's championship has four teams that are ranked by the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association. Rice is ranked third in the South Central Region, followed by SMU, which is ranked fifth. UAB is seventh in the South Region and Tulsa is ninth in the Midwest.

Houston will be led by freshman Kelcee Keenan in the women's race. Keenan has been Houston's best runner throughout the 2005 season.

The C-USA Cross Country Championships is the first of two conference championships affected by Hurricane Katrina. The C-USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that were originally scheduled to be held in Hattiesburg, Miss. have been moved to El Paso, Texas on May 11-13.