The Golden Suns cross-country team opened its 2008 season in strong fashion Aug. 29, when it placed second out of nine teams at its second-annual Tech Twilight Run at Tucker Coliseum.

The Suns finished with 59 points overall, one point ahead of third-place finisher Arkansas State, and 20 points behind first place Arkansas-Little Rock.

“I was very happy with the way our girls ran tonight. They got out there and performed well,” Golden Suns head coach Tom Aspel said. “The meet was a very good one and the weather cooperated as things cooled off a bit.” Junior Melissa Pollreis performed notably in the run, placing fourth with a time of 12:15, while Tech junior Kayla Waldrup placed seventh with a time of 12:20. Sophomore Lauren Karnitz, senior Brianna Greene, and junior Michelle Pollreis placed consecutively at 15th, 16th and 17th respectively.

Erica Wardlaw rounded Tech out, placing 23rd.

Behind Arkansas Tech was Hendrix with 104 points, Central Arkansas with 113 points, Memphis with 152 points, Henderson State with 169 points, Arkansas-Monticello with 239 points, and University of Ozarks with 256.

The Suns return to action on Saturday in Memphis Tenn., where they will compete in the 5,000-meter Brooks/Twilight Classic.