August 13, 1997
For Immediate Release
Contact: Judy Willson, SID
505.562.4309
(Portales, N.M.) --- The Eastern New Mexico University men's and women's cross country teams will begin two-a-day practices on Thursday, August 14 at 6:00 am with a 12-mile run. The teams, under head coach Jeff Arthur, are in their second season since cross country was reinstated at ENMU after an almost 20-year hiatus.
Six women and five men have reported for the training camp which began earlier this week with orientation, meetings and physicals. The Zias have four returning letterwinners, while the Greyhounds have two. Sophomore Zia Vern Samaniego (Sonora, Texas) was the top runner for ENMU last season She had a 5K personal best of 21:06.15 at the Lone Star Conference Championship Meet in October at Texas A&M-Commerce. Sophomore Shilohe Polega (Portales) and junior Jennifer Hiyi (Rio Rancho) also ran personal bests of 21:07.56 and 22:26.16, respectively, in the LSC meet. The fourth returning Zia, Lisa Hippely (Chardon, Ohio), finished the 5K race with 28:14.25. The Zias finished 9th out of the 10 competing teams with 219 points.
Joining the Zias this season will be freshman Mindy Clark of Carlsbad and walk-on senior Jeanne Laizure of Fort Worth, Texas. Clark is a New Mexico state qualifier in cross country for the past three years. Laizure lettered in cross country her senior year at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth before attending New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell.
Returning for the Greyhounds are senior Billy Van Curen (Artesia) and sophomore Henry Varela (Pecos). Varela was the top runner for the Hounds all season, but was unable to compete in the LSC meet. Van Curen was the only runner for Eastern New Mexico in the LSC Championship meet with an 8K time of 33:37.39.
Giving Varela and Van Curen some much needed support in team scoring will be freshmen Jason Curio (Roswell) and Allen Sanchez, Jr. (Carlsbad), and senior walk-on Dave Anderson (Albuquerque). Sanchez is a New Mexico state qualifier in cross country for three years and finished sixth in the 800m run (1:59) at the state track & field meet. Curio and Anderson were three-year letterwinners for their high school programs - Curio at Roswell High School and Anderson at Sandia High School.
Eastern New Mexico will compete in five meets, beginning at Texas Tech University on Saturday, September 6, to prepare for the 1997 Lone Star Conference Championship Meet on October 25th at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. Thirteen women's and 11 men's teams will compete for the LSC title this season.