November 3, 1997
For Immediate Release
Contact: Judy Willson, SID
505.562.4309 or 356-4755

(Portales, N.M.) --- The Eastern New Mexico University cross country teams, under head coach Jeff Arthur, wrapped up a solid second season with an improved place finish at the Lone Star Conference Championship Meet for the women and a team score for the men.

The Zia cross country team finished 10^th out of 13 in the women's 5K race with 234 points. Sophomore Vern Samaniego (Sonora, Texas) had a season-best 20:37 at the LSC Meet for 33^rd place. Sophomore Shilohe Polega (Portales) finished 39^th with a season-best 20:48, followed in 40^th place by senior Jeanne Laizure (Fort Worth, Texas) with a season-best 20:51. Freshman Mindy Clark (Carlsbad) finished 48^th with a season-best 21:27. Jennifer Voris, a freshman from Albuquerque, rounded out the Zia scoring with a 74^th place finish and a time of 24:01. Junior Lisa Hippely (Chardon, Ohio) placed 79^th with her season-best of 28:57.

The Greyhound cross country team finished 11^th out of 11 in the men's 8K race with 272 points. It was the first time the Hounds received a full team score in the LSC Championship Meet. All of the Hound runners posted season-best times in the 8K - sophomore Henry Varela (Pecos) finished 48^th with a 30:19; senior Dave Anderson (Albuquerque) 51^st with a 30:40; sophomore John Lomasney (Gallup) 56^th with a 31:37; freshman Tyrone Sunde (Hugo, Minn.) 58^th with a 32:02; and senior Billy Van Curen (Artesia) 59^th with a 33:29. Van Curen was the only ENMU men's runner with LSC experience.

Hippely earns Academic honor...junior Lisa Hippely of Chardon, Ohio, was one of 12 women's cross country runners named to the 1997 Lone Star Conference Academic All-Conference Cross Country Team. Hippely is an Elementary Education major with a 3.63 grade point average. Minimum grade point average for the LSC team is a 3.30 cumulative GPA.