Aug. 26, 2005

Charleston, SC - With the graduation of Marc Quesenberry, Nick Gastley and Vince Bechtel there is a question mark as to who will take over the No. 1 position this year on the Bulldogs' cross country team.

Senior 800-meter runner Marcus Butler had a very good summer and is coming off his first injury-free year which produced a pair of indoor and outdoor All-Southern Conference performances. Butler will be very strong and should be one of the top four runners this season. Matt Holmes and Will Wilson, both juniors, should be in a battle for the top spot and if both stay healthy, should give the squad a pretty good one-two punch.

Charles Kutz will likely fill out the fourth position. The next few spots could go to sophomores Ray Giustizia and Stephen Craig, and The Citadel should gain added depth from freshmen Jorge Jimenez, J.T. Marcus and Jason Byrd.

"This year's team will have, without a doubt, the most talent top-to-bottom that any Bulldog harrier team has had in our short existence," said coach Jody Huddleston. "Coach Brian Johnson's recruiting efforts the past several years is beginning to reap some rewards."

The Bulldogs open up the 2005 season at the Gamecock Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina on Friday, September 2.