CTC Cross Country Begins 9th Season

The Chattahoochee Technical College Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams begin their 9th season in the fall of 2012. This season promises to be very competitive with multiple members returning from last year’s teams. On the men’s side four of the top seven runners are returning.  Dominic Dalton, last year’s #2 runner, will lead the pack of sophomores. Prentis (PJ) Brown, Jamael Smith, and Matt Walcott will all return after very successful track and field seasons last spring. During outdoor track, the men’s distance team shattered the 4 x 800 school record, qualifying for the outdoor national meet, and just missed qualifying for finals by less than one second.

New additions to the team include Edens Thermidor (Lake Worth, FL), and Octavious Wilburn (Middletown, NY). Edens is a strong all-around athlete with outstanding times in the 200 through 5000 meters. Octavious is an 800 meter runner that will add depth to both the cross country team and the 4 x 800 relay.  Additionally about a dozen track and field and walk-on athletes will join the team this fall.

 The Women’s squad will include two of last year’s top five runners.  Jazmyne Taylor, last year’s #2 runner, and Julia Rivera will lead the returning Golden Eagles. New recruits include Dorneshia Cousar (Lancaster, TX), and Iris Robinson (Birmingham, AL). Dorneshia is a strong 1600 meter runner who will be adapting her skills to cross country for the first time. Iris is an 800 meter specialist. The women’s team will also include additional track and field and walk-on athletes.

“Both teams should do well this season,” according to Head Coach Steve Prettyman. “We again will be battling rivals Darton College for the region championship. With a good amount of returning runner this season, we hope to break back into the national rankings and to place 1st or 2nd in the region. However, we also need to keep our eye on the other teams in the region (South Georgia College, North Georgia Tech, Gordon College) who keep getting stronger and could challenge for the titles.”

Meets begin on September 1st with the University of Georgia Invitational. The team will also compete in the North GA Tech Invitational, Commodore Classic ( Vanderbilt University), Aubrae Gunderson Invitational, Southern Challenge, and the Viking Open (Berry College). The season will conclude with the GCAA Region Championships and the NJCAA National Championships in November. The Golden Eagles will host the Southern Challenge and the GCAA Region Championships at the Cobb Corps Property in Acworth, GA.

Cross Country practice begins August 6th at 8AM at Wildwood Park (corner of Barclay Circle and South Cobb Drive, in front of Life University). Any interested full-time student-athlete registered for fall classes should contact Coach Steve Prettyman (Steve.Prettyman@Chattahoocheetech.edu) for more information. Student-athletes must have a physical on file before attending practice.