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Under the direction of second year head coach Caleb Morgan the Lee men's and women's cross country teams are ready to start the 2014 campaign after a successful first season at the NCAA Division II ranks.
 
The Lady Flames will open the season close to home at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga PowerAde Invitational on Sept. 5.  Lee will look to build off of last year's success as they finished first in the college open two-mile run while placing three runners in the top eight.
 
After opening in Chattanooga the Lady Flames will test their luck against NCAA Division I competition as they will head to Nashville for the Vanderbilt Classic (Sept. 13) followed by trip to Kentucky for the Louisville classic (Oct. 4).
 
The Lee Ladies will run a familiar track as they head to Rome, Ga. for the Berry Invitational on Oct. 18 before participating in the Choctaw D2 Challenge, hosted by fellow GSC member Mississippi College on Oct. 25. "We are really looking forward to the D2 Challenge in Mississippi. It will give us a chance to race some top D2 teams outside of our conference," said Morgan.
 
The Lady Flames will have plenty of experience in the lineup as key contributors from last year's squad return in seniors Cayce Bryan and Ashley Matthews and junior Jessica Childers. 
 
After a solid offseason on the recruiting trail Morgan is looking for an immediate contribution from freshmen Amy Carpenter and Audrey Smith. "Both ran times in high school last year that should place them in the top 15 in our conference," noted the coach.
 
Joining Carpenter and Smith are newcomers Lauren Hart, Danielle King, Alexis Qumsieh and Madison Riddle. Lee will lose just one regular from the lineup last year after Emily Arnesen graduation.  Arnesen was Lee's No. 4 runner last year at nationals.
 
The coach highlighted that remaining healthy will be a big key for his squad this season. "We had a lot of setbacks last year with illness and injury. We want to stay healthy this year."
 
When asked about the teams to watch out for in conference Morgan noted, "Alabama-Huntsville, Union and West Florida will be the teams to beat in the Gulf South." The Chargers won the GSC tournament last season on both the women's and men's side.
 
With the core of the team returning from last season Morgan stressed that the Lady Flames have set high goals for the upcoming season. "We want to finish in the top three at the conference tournament and in the top six at the NCCAA Nationals."
 
The Lee men will  begin their season a day after the women on Sept. 6 at the Sewanee Invitational.
 
The Flames did not lose a single runner from last year's team and will look to parlay that experience and continuity into success in the upcoming season.
 
When asked about what areas Morgan would like to see his team improve in from a year ago the coach was quick to point out that depth will be important. "Last year we were a very young team without much depth. This year we are still a young team but we are looking to be much deeper. We have eight runners currently that are doing what our top two did in workouts leas year and it's only August."
 
Morgan highlighted two key returners that should play a big role in the overall success of the team. "Camden Perez and Terris Elliott both trained hard over the summer. Camden ran as our No. 1 at conference and the NCCAA nationals last year. Elliott had a big break through last spring and we are looking for him to keep building."
 
Joining Perez and Elliott are newcomers Harold Smith, Seth Eagleson and Tyler Boone. "Harold and Seth are both freshmen. They put in a lot of work over the summer and are both very fit. Tyler is a transfer and has the fastest time out of anyone currently on our roster at the 8k distance." added Morgan.
 
The men will join the women and once again test their skills against NCAA Division I talent when they run at the Vanderbilt Classic in Nashville on Sept. 13 and the Louisville Classic on Oct. 4. The regular season portion of the schedule concludes with the Berry Invitational (Oct. 18) and the Choctaw D2 Challenge (Oct. 25) in Clinton, Miss.
  
The Flames will be looking to make a big splash in championship meets this season despite having a younger roster.  "Our goals include being in the top three at conference. We are very young team but we are not going to use that as an excuse. This group of athletes is ready to compete and prove themselves as one of the top teams in the conference.
 
"We want to beat a couple of teams who are ranked in the Top 25 in D2 and finish in the top four at the NCCAA nationals," Morgan concluded.
 
Lee will participate in the GSC Championship in Hoover, Ala. again this season despite still being one year away from officially qualifying for postseason honors and awards. Last year the men finished fifth out of 10 teams while the women placed sixth in the 11-team field.
 
The season will wrap up with the NCCAA National Championships in Houghton, N.Y. on Nov. 16. The Flames will look to build off an 11^th place finish in 2013 while the women hope to improve on their 13th place showing .