Rice Owls Run In Happy Valley

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 16, 2008) The Rice Owls mens' cross country team, ranked 11th in the South Central Region, competes this Friday at the Penn State National (5.2 miles) at 9 a.m. (Central).

This year's Penn State National will be a battle of many of the top tier programs in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Georgetown enters as the favorite for the team title, boasting a No. 8 ranking and several top individual talents, including Andrew Bumbalough, an All-America finisher in 2007, who led the Hoyas to 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Also making their way to Happy Valley will be the Wildcats of Villanova, a perennial power on the East Coast as well as the nation's 28th-ranked team. The meet will also welcome Kentucky, Richmond, and George Mason. The No. 1-ranked team in Division III, Cortland State, as well as the No. 1 Canadian squad - Guelph - will also be in attendance.

Competing Teams
Akron
Binghamton - Northeast No. 15
Bloomsburg - DII Atlantic, No. 6
Cortland State - DIII, No. 1
George Mason
George Washington
Georgetown - NCAA, No. 8; Mid-Atlantic, No.
Georgia State - South, No. 7
Guelph - CIS (Canada), No. 1
Hofstra
Kent State
Kentucky - Southeast, No. 14
La Salle - Mid-Atlantic, No. 6
Lock Haven - DII, No. 25; Atlantic, No. 2
Messiah - DIII Mideast, No. 6
Mount St. Mary's
Penn State - Mid-Atlantic, No. 5
PSU Alumni
Quinnipiac
Rice - South Central, No. 11
Richmond - Southeast, No. 9
Rider
Robert Morris
Shippensburg - DII Atlantic, No. 3
Slippery Rock - DII Atlantic, No. 2
St. Francis (Pa.)
Villanova - NCAA No. 28; Mid-Atlantic, No. 2
Wake Forest
Yale - Northeast, No. 7