ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (Sept. 10, 2006) - The ETSU men's and women's cross country program opened their 2006 campaign on Sunday in the Irish Brigade Commemorative 5k run. The race was held at Sycamore Shoals Park in nearby Elizabethton, Tenn. Local product David McDaniel (Elizabethton, Tenn.) led the men, while Valerie Boothby (Glen Gardner, N.J.) added a solid performance for the women.  

The men's squad featured two runners, with McDaniel winning the 5k race in a time of 17:54.8, three minutes better than the second place finisher. Joshua Rock (Spotsylvania, Va.) finished seventh in the 20-man field with a mark of 23:14.8.

"This victory helped David, because he will get stronger as the season progresses, as well as be able to put himself in position where he can help coach Walker later in the fall," said coach Michelle Byrne.

On the women's side, freshman Valerie Boothby (Glen Gardner, N.J.) and Victoria Currie (Dumfries, Scotland) both turned in strong performances over the weekend. Boothby placed second with a time of 23:10 while Currie finished fourth with a 23:26.4 mark in the 5k race. Finishing directly behind Currie in fifth and sixth place were sophomore Allie Frazier (Knoxville, Tenn.) and freshman Christin Zink (Herndon, Va.) with times of 23:47.6 and 25:20.2.

"As freshman, Valerie and Victoria both looked solid in the outing," said Byrne. The race will set them up nicely for our next meet on Friday. Allie turned in a solid performance and has shown a lot of improvement from last season."

Both cross country teams will continue their season this Friday, September 15 at the Western Carolina Open in Cullowhee, N.C. The women's 4k race will begin at 5:00pm and the men's 5k race will start at 5:25.