Men’s Cross Country Gears up for Notre Dame Invitational

Sept. 27, 2007

Clemson Men’s Cross Country NotesDownload Free Acrobat Reader

Clemson, SC – The men’s cross country schedule ratchets up a notch this weekend as the Tigers prepare for the 52nd running of the Notre Dame Invitational. The blue division race, which will cover an 8K distance, is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 5:00 PM at the university’s nine-hole golf course.

Other schools competing this weekend from the ACC include Boston College, Florida State, North Carolina, and N.C. State. The Wolfpack are the defending champions of the blue race and are ranked 10th in the latest coaches’ poll. Ranked teams competing Friday will be Providence (#11), Notre Dame (#13), BYU (#19), Florida State (#24), and Michigan (#26).

Clemson’s top performers will see their first action of the season this weekend, led by senior Matt Clark. A four-time All-ACC performer and 10,000m champion on the track last season, Clark sat out the 2006 cross country season with an injury. He previously was an NCAA qualifier in cross country in 2005.

Bryce Iverson also returns as one of the team’s top performers. Last season, he earned All-Region and All-ACC honors in cross country. Another veteran making the trip this week will be Sam Bryfczynski, a two-year lettermen in cross country. He has had a strong off-season in terms of training, according to Head Coach Bob Pollock.

Brian Soder and Will Noble, also returning lettermen, will compete this weekend for the Tigers. Both placed in the top five at the season-opening Western Carolina Invitational.

Four newcomers will get a chance to face stiff competition for the first time. Tyler Morey and Chad Holt already have titles this season (Western Carolina Invitational and Catamount Classic, respectively), but will face more of a challenge this weekend.

Matt Bruce is arguably the team’s most heralded incoming freshman. The native of Oshawa, Ontario has a wealth of experience with Canada’s junior cross country program in international competitions.

Chris Slate, who has competed as an unattached athlete twice this season, will see his first action with the Tigers. He is a product of Wilmington, DE.