Aug. 27, 2008

OXFORD, Ohio - Saturday, Aug. 30 marks the first meet of the 2008 season for the Miami University women's cross country team. However, there is more reason for excitment than just another shot at a Mid-American Conference crown come November. 

When the gun sounds on the Dayton 5K Challenge in Kettering at 11:15 a.m., Rita Arndt-Molis will find herself in her first competition as the RedHawks' head coach. Arndt-Molis came to Miami after four years at Michigan State University where she produced three cross country teams that finished in the nation's top-15 and had three Spartan squads qualify for NCAA Championship appearances.

The recently-hired Miami mentor commented on what she will be looking for on Saturday morning at Indian Riffle Park.

"It is an opportunity for our team to get off the mark. It is not, necessarily, a competitive focal point, but every meet between now and the conference championships is an opportunity for us to sharpen our competitive skills, to learn more about how to be effective in competition, and this is just the first step for that," said Arndt-Molis.

Arndt-Molis continued, "Not knowing the team, I am excited to see them race. I am excited to see how they compose themselves, how they maintain poise, and how they manage the competition. It will be a good learning experience for everybody. "

The RedHawks have plenty of talent from which to draw. Mid-American Conference individual champion Laura Neufarth returns for her second year of competition at Miami. Three other MAC Championship scorers return in 2008, including Kelsey McHugh, Rebekah Hollander and Rachel Patterson.

Whoever emerges as this season's top-four runners, Arndt-Molis explained that it takes much more than a top-heavy lineup to set the pace for a MAC championship.

"Throughout this year, I am really focused on what we do as a team. A cross country team needs, at the very minimum, five runners. But, realistically, we need seven. We need to start thinking as a team, functioning like a team, and seeing results as a team," ended Arndt-Molis.

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