GREENVILLE, N.C. — The East Carolina men and women's cross country teams will travel to Tampa, Fla. this weekend to compete in the 2003 Conference USA Cross Country Championships at the USF Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 1. The men's 8k race is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m., with the women's 6k competition scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.

At the Conference USA championships a year ago, the men's squad placed eighth. ECU junior Kyle MacKenzie has paced the Pirates all season and will look to improve upon his 15th place finish at the conference championships last season. Senior Ron Delzer and five additional underclassmen join MacKenzie to comprise this weekend's squad. The Pirates are coming off a fifth place finish at the N.C. Intercollegiate Championships on Oct. 18.

The ladies' team also recorded an eighth place finish last season. The Pirates will be led by sophomore Caitlin Littlefield and senior Johanna Allen. In four races this season, Littlefield has recorded three top 10 finishes, including runner-up twice. Allen has competed in three races this year and has two top five finishes.

Charlotte, winner of the 2003 N.C. Intercollegiate Championship, is the defending champion on the men's side, while Marquette is the three-time women's defending champion.

"This is the deepest and most balanced I've seen the conference since we've been a member," said head coach Len Klepack. "I feel good about our chances. We need a couple of people to have their best races for us to finish in the top five, but we've been working really hard and I believe we are capable of doing that."