The 2002 Mid-Continent Conference Cross Country Championships are set for this weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. Both the men???s and women???s competitions will take place at Southeastway Park, and will be hosted by IUPUI. The women???s 6-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., while the men???s 8-kilometer event will follow at 11 a.m. An awards presentation is scheduled for approximately noon. Southern Utah will be gunning for another Mid-Con title in both the men???s and women???s races. The Thunderbird men have captured each Mid-Con crown since joining the league in 1997, a league-record five straight victories. Southern Utah shares the record for all-time men???s championships with Northern Iowa, who won titles from 1982-84 and again in 1988 and 1990, but a Southern Utah win on Saturday would give it a conference-best six team crowns. On the women???s side, Southern Utah has won four straight crowns, establishing conference marks for both consecutive titles won and overall number of team women???s cross country championships. Oakland, which was picked second in both the men???s and women???s preseason polls behind Southern Utah, has five runners who have posted top ten times in the Mid-Con this season on the men???s side. UMKC???s Bill Hibdon posted the league???s best 8K time of the year to date at the Missouri Invitational on September 14, crossing the line in 25:10.48, which is nearly 18 seconds faster than the next best time in the conference in 2002. Oakland and Valparaiso have each placed three runners among the top times on the women???s side. The Golden Grizzlies??? Melissa Nasers ran a 22:00.50 at the Asics/Pacesetter Pre-National Meet on October 19, the top time this year for a 6K race. Southern Utah is the only Mid-Con women???s team that has yet to run a 6K this season, and consequently the preseason favorite Thunderbirds have no runners placing among the Mid-Con???s top times. Results of the 2002 Mid-Con Cross Country Championships will be available at www.mid-con.com. Please visit the Web site???s cross country championships page for more information.