Tiger runners hope to get the jump on the competition in 2008, much as they did during the 2007 Wittenberg Invitational.

Springfield, Ohio — The Wittenberg University men's and women's cross country teams continue the 2008 season with the annual Wittenberg Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Springfield Masonic Home. Five schools – Cedarville University, Cuyahoga Community College, Muskingum College and Urbana University – are scheduled to join the host Tigers in the competition, which starts with the women's five-kilometer race at 10:30 a.m. and concludes the with men's eight-kilometer race at 11:15 a.m.

Wittenberg kicked off the 2008 campaign with a solid race at the University of Dayton's Meijer Flyer 5K on Aug. 30. Wittenberg's men and women both finished second in the Intercollegiate Division of their first competition under third-year Head Coach Craig Penney. In a race that included six NCAA Division I or II scholarship programs, Wittenberg scored top-30 finishes overall from Gabe Savage, class of 2009 from Lewisburg, Ohio, in 28th in the men's race and Darcy Dubuc, class of 2012 from Grand Haven, Mich., in 26th in the women's competition. Both were the top finisher among NCAA Division III runners.

The Tiger men placed first and the women second in the 2007 Wittenberg Invitational. Savage led the men with a fourth-place finish as the Tigers put all five scorers in the top 13 places individually. Kate McIlvain led the women, who collected six top-30 finishes to narrowly miss the top spot held by Wilmington College. The Tiger men went on to finish eighth in the North Coast Athletic Conference championships and the Tiger women placed seventh.

Related Links: Wittenberg Men's Cross Country Home Page Wittenberg Women's Cross Country Home Page