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News Release

UMBC Cross Country Announces Incoming Class, 2007 Schedule

7/10/2007

BALTIMORE—The men’s cross country team has signed four athletes to letters of intent and one transfer to a grant-in-aid for the upcoming 2007 season, with the Retrievers traveling to the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet for the first time in school history, head coach Scott Catone announced recently.

The Retriever men and women will kick-off the 2007 season on Saturday, September 1 at the Lid Lifter Invitational in Princess Anne, Md., hosted by the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore where freshmen Chris Bowie, Michael Christmas, Chris Snyder, and Paul Zwama and sophomore transfer Chris Hart will make their debuts.

Hart, a native of Lancashire, England, headlines the most talented recruiting class in school history as a sophomore transfer from St. Mary’s University in England.  Hart has served as a representative on several British Junior National teams and has won four U-23 Lancashire County Championships. 

“Chris Hart is an excellent athlete with many international competitions under his belt and should be able to adjust well to collegiate racing,” said Catone.  “He and Anthony Kelhower will make up a great 1-2 punch during the cross country season.”

Along with returning junior Anthony Kelhower, Hart will lead a men’s team to its first-ever appearance at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Indiana, the site of the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships, in mid-October.

“Hart and Kelhower have the potential to qualify for the NCAA Championships,” said Catone.  “The very young team that we have this year will also benefit from a trip to Pre-Nationals.”

Two other athletes on Catone’s list, Christmas and Zwama, have also experienced international competition with Christmas, a native of Invercargill, New Zealand winning the 2005 Oceania Under 18 Championship in the 800-meter run and Zwama was a 2006 selection for the European cross country team.

Zwama, who hails from Groningen, Netherlands, has already established himself on the national circuit in the Netherlands, placing fourth and fifth in the 2005 and 2006 National Cross Country Championships, respectively.

“Paul is an excellent cross country runner on the junior level in Europe and should have a high impact and place well during the cross country season,” said Catone.

Christmas, Catone says, is more of a track runner but has 8K/10K potential that will enable him to compete for a #4 or #5 spot on the cross country squad.  Like Zwama, Christmas has established himself nationally in the track circuit, boasting the fastest 800 time for 19-year-old men in 2006 and placing third in the New Zealand Championships in the 800.

Catone will also bring in Bethesda, Md. native Bowie, and McConnellsburg, Pa. native Snyder for the upcoming season, both of whom who hold state cross country titles.  Bowie captured the Maryland Class 3A State Cross Country Championship in 2006 while Snyder was victorious in the PIAA District 5 Cross Country Championship. 

Other venues for the Retrievers in 2007 include the U.S. Naval Academy for the Navy Invitational, Lehigh University for the Paul Short Invitational, which is also the site of the 2007 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, the William and Mary Invitational and America East Conference Championships hosted by Stony Brook University.