Sept. 3, 2005

Spartanburg, SC - The Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams cross-country team opened up the 2005 season, their first under new head coach Benny Morgan, with an impressive 21st-place finish at the Eye-Opener Invitational on Saturday morning in Spartanburg, SC.

The Lady Rams, sporting a completely revamped roster that features no returnee from last season, started the morning off well as they ran out to a 21st-place finish (out of 24 total teams).

The Lady Rams most impressive performer on the afternoon was Irene Jeptolo who would turn in the best women's cross-country finish in WSSU history as she raced to a 10th place finish en route to completing the 5k (3.1 mile) course in 19:54.

Not far behind Jeptolo was her Lady Ram teammate Tomita Ferguson who crossed the finish line in 22:47, good enough to earn her a 65th-place finish.

Jeptolo and Ferguson were the only two Lady Rams' who would finish 100th or better as WSSU captured the 116th, 118th, 187th and 188th place qualifiers as well.

Bernae McDonald would finish 116th for WSSU with a time of 25:05 and her teammate Sandy Harrison would finish two places later with a time of 25:06 at 118th.

Rounding out the WSSU finishers were Gwendolynn Hamilton and Wykeita Barnett who finished 187th and 188th respectively as both Lady Rams' crossed the finish line with a time of 31:23.

With the combined effort, the Lady Rams would earn a 21st-place finish to open the season. WSSU returns to action on Friday, September 9th, 2005 when they will travel to Wilmington, NC to compete in the UNC-Wilmington Open.

For additional information on WSSU women's cross-country, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Web Site of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com