NEW MARKET, Va. - Seventy-six days and countless miles after opening practice back in mid-August, the UNC Wilmington cross country teams travel to the scenic Shenandoah Valley this weekend to compete in the Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Championships.

      The Seahawks, who will race on a rolling course through the historic New Market Battlefield, have a bad memory of last year's trip to another Civil War hotbed - Bull Run Regional Park in Manassas. The men finished eighth and the women ended up sixth in the CAA's.

      However, assistant track/cross country Layne Schwier expects a better finish for both teams this time around.

      "Our obvious goal is to improve on last year," he said. "The men have a goal to finish the top five and the women are looking to finish either third or fourth. If we run to our ability, I think we can achieve both of these goals."

      The men will race an 8K at 10 a.m. and women follow with a 6K at 11 a.m. Rain showers are possible, with temperatures are expected to be in the mid 60's.

      The Seahawks opened the season by competing in Campbell's Cross Country Carnival, a tandem scoring event, and then swept both titles in the Seahawk Invitational on Sept. 11. Since then, UNCW has competed in the Mountaineer Open (Boone, N.C.), Mason Invitational (Fairfax, Va.) and Blue Ridge Open (Boone, N.C.), in preparation for Saturday's conference finale.

      On the women's side, senior Kathleen Casto has been UNCW's top finisher in every race this fall and the 5-2 dynamo should be one of the top runners to cross the finish line Saturday. Fellow senior Bernadette O'Neill will also be one of the team's top finishers once again.

      "Kathleen and Bernadette are each capable of finishing in the top 12 and earning All-CAA," added Schwier. "We'll also be relying on our other two seniors, Christina Borowiec and Samantha Mifsud, to run strong as well."

      Schwier has watched the women's team improve each season, moving from ninth place to eighth and then sixth at the CAA meet over the last three years.

      "Bernadette and Samantha deserve a lot of credit because of their leadership. This has been a special group of women and anything we accomplish is because of their dedication to our team and their determination to raise the bar each year."

      Sophomore Will Zohorodny, meanwhile, has been a workhorse for the Seahawks, who lack depth on the men's side. The Damascus, Md., product has been the team's frontrunner in every race. Schwier's men only have one senior - Devin Dixon  - and talented runner Jeff Naro has not been able to rebound from summer surgery in time to contribute this fall.

      "Our men are significantly ahead of last year, but we're still far from being a top team in the conference in cross country," said Schwier. "We have had a lot of success on the track in the spring, but this group is still looking to prove themselves in the fall and earn some respect off the track.

      "We're just looking to climb the ladder this weekend and establish ourselves. Wil is known as a middle distance runner, but he's starting to show that he can handle the longer distances as well. He has provided some much-needed leadership this year."