PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The first two of 21 Atlantic 10 team champions will be crowned on Saturday, Nov. 1, with the running of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships on Charlotte's Campus Course.

The 20th annual Women's Cross Country Championship will begin at 10:00am. La Salle seized its fourth consecutive A-10 crown last year with 52 points, while runner-up Richmond amassed 82 points. Pacing the Explorers on the 5,000-meter course will be senior Mary Clare Parrott, who finished 22nd overall a year ago, and freshmen Stephanie Bearish and Caitlin Storbeck. Vying for its first league title since 2003, Richmond is led by three-time Performer of the Week selection Nicol Traynor, who garnered All-Conference honors a year ago after placing 11th. Among those seeking to take home the individual crown include three-time All-Conference selections Aja Jackson of Charlotte and Saint Joseph's Andrea Florida, as well as three-time A-10 Performer of the Week honoree Maureen Bulgrin of Dayton.

Joining Charlotte, Dayton, La Salle, Richmond and Saint Joseph's in the quest for the 2008 title include Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier.