KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State women’s cross-country team continues their season on Saturday in Orlando when they compete in the Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic.

With just three weeks left until the Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Cross Country Championship, this meet will allow the Owls to get back into a competitive atmosphere following a week off from competition. The course is a familiar one for the squad, with this being at least the second trip to Orlando for all of the runners who will be competing on Saturday.

“The team is running really well right now, and with Disney being such an enjoyable experience in the past for us, we should have great performances all the way around,” said senior Soibhan Wolcott, who ran the 5k course in 18:59 and 20:13 in 2008 and 2007, respectively. “The course is pretty flat but sandy, and when it rained two years back, it became very wet and muddy, so that’s something we keep in mind.”

Most of the talk around the program has been about junior standout Mackenzie Howe, who kicked off the 2009 season with victories in four consecutive races coming into Saturday. It is easy to overlook the fact, however, that the squad has a lot of talent other than just Howe, and all of that talent must be able to perform well when the conference meet takes place.

The Owls will be getting one important piece to the puzzle back in their lineup this weekend, when senior Erin Sutton returns to action for the first time since 2007. The former All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection redshirted during the 2008 season, and has missed all of 2009 so far due to injury. Women’s cross country head coach Stan Sims is excited to have her back in the rotation for the Owls.

“With Erin coming back, that gives us three of the top runners in the conference between her, Mackenzie Howe, and [senior] Britany Reilly,” Sims said. “It is really crucial for us that our number four through seven runners step it up and do well over these coming weeks going into the conference meet, because that is where the difference will be made for us in the standings. It's important that beyond our top-three our opponents can't make up too much ground.”

Junior Kristen Gibson, who will be making her third appearance at the Disney meet, echoed Wolcott’s sentiments about the course and what to expect from the race.

“It’s an overall excellent course, and we were able to run some really good times even though it’s a pretty sandy course. There aren’t many hills, so it’s easier to make up some time in certain spots despite the conditions, which have been tough in the past.”

The women will begin their race at 8:30am on Saturday morning.

Meet Quick Facts

Event Name: Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic

Event Date: Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Host: Walt Disney World

Location: Walt Disney World Wide World of Sports

Start Time: 8:30 a.m.(Eastern)

Distance: 5k

2008 Owl Finish: 9th

2008 Owl Finishers: Mackenzie Howe, 5th (17:50); Kristen Gibson, 26th (18:43); Soibhan Wolcott, 43rd (18:59); Caitlin German, 86th (19:48); Lorena Jaime, 152nd (21:01); Katie Charles, 205th (22:17)

Schools Participating (45): Anderson (S.C.); Assumption; Baylor; Benedict; Bethune-Cookman; Blackstone Valley Voc/Tech; C.W. Post; Central Florida; Clayton State; Cleveland St.; Conchita Espinosa Academy; Conn College; Cuyahoga CC; Flagler; Florida Atlantic; Florida College; Florida Int'l; Florida Southern; Florida Tech; IPFW; Johnson & Wales; Kennesaw State; Lackawanna College; Mercer; Methodist; Miami; Milligan; N.C. Central; Nova Southeastern; Paine; Palm Beach Atlantic; Pasco-Hernando CC; Saint Leo; Savannah Coll. of Art & Design; South Carolina; South Carolina-Beaufort; South Florida; St. Thomas; Tampa; Texas A&M-Int'l; Warner; Webber; Wingate; Winston-Salem St.; Young