2008 Greater Louisville Classic Results

It was a fast day on the course for the UDM men's cross country team as the Titans saw all 10 harriers set personal records at the 2008 Greater Louisville Classic, held at E.P. Sawyer Park.

"Just an exciting day for us," said head coach Guy Murray. "Not only did the roster all run PR's, but our top five were as fast as any five we have ever had at one meet. It doesn't happen very often that the whole team breaks through on the same day, so it was great to take advantage of the great competition on a fast course and enjoy the results of our hard work."

Detroit totaled 488 points to finish the race in 17th place, out of 33 teams, placing ahead of two SEC schools in Vanderbilt (18) and Mississippi (22) as well as Horizon League foe Wright State (31). Detroit also improved by 10 places and 292 points from last year's event.

The Titans were led by sophomore Patrick Liederbach (Petoskey, MI/Petoskey) who became just the third runner in school history to run a sub-25 time, finishing the race in 24:54, good for 41st place. He joins Ken Dubois and Chris McPhee as only Titans to accomplish that feat.

"Pat has worked hard to overcome a rough summer and this is a great breakthrough for him," commented Murray.


Detroit had three other runners finished in the top 150 in the 8k race, led by sophomore Alex Harris (Huntington Woods,MI/Shrine) who was 99th with a time of 25:40. Freshman Alex Vanias (Leroy, MI/Pine River) was 115th with a run of 25:51, while graduate senior Andrew Hayner (Royal Oak, MI/U-D Jesuit) crossed the finish line at 26:00.

"Alex (Harris) is finally getting to 100% and will be a major factor for us," said Murray. "While Alex (Vanias) is making the contribution we had hoped and is just one of a handful of Titan rookies to ever break 26."

UDM returns to action on Friday, Oct. 10, when the Titans host the Michigan Intercollegiate, held at Kensington Metropark in Milford.