After 17 years, runners host meet

By Jimmy Chai, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 8, 1998

Saturday, Long Beach State will host its first cross country invitational since 1981.

Until this year, The Beach had not held an invitational because golf courses and public parks would not allow the team to set up a course in the area, said Andy Sythe, LBSU cross country head coach.

But with the help of El Dorado Park officials and the city of Long Beach, Sythe and his staff put together a championship course at the park that is expected to stay.

"In Dec. 1999, we are hosting the National Championships," Sythe said.

With several other LBSU meets foreseen in the future, Sythe plans to make this Saturday's comeback meet a success.

Along with LBSU, Cal State Northridge, San Diego State women, USC and Loyola Marymount University will be the Division I schools in attendance. They will be joined by five other club teams such as Fila Track West and Team Slyvie.

The men's eight-kilometer run will start at 9 a.m. and the women's five-kilometer run starts at 9:45 a.m..