Oct. 27, 2004

Irving, Texas - In conjunction with the celebration of the league's 10th anniversary this year, Conference USA is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference's 19 sports. Men's cross country is the first sport to have its All-Decade team released, and Charlotte placed two of its all-time greats on the 10-member team. Kenneth Svendsen and Vince Sherry were each chosen by the league's current men's cross country coaches to represent the 49ers on the team.

Charlotte is one of three schools to place two runners each on the 10-person team, joining Tulane and Southern Miss. Cincinnati, East Carolina, TCU and USF each placed one athlete on the squad. Tulane's Amos Kipyegon was chosen as the Athlete of the Decade for men's cross country, while Cincinnati's Bill Schrier was chosen as Coach of the Decade.

Kenneth Svendsen, an Athlete of the Decade nominee, earned all-conference recognition by finishing among the league's top five runners at the C-USA Championship in each of his three seasons. He earned the school's only men's cross country All-American distinction in 1999. Svendsen finished 25th at the NCAA Nationals that year, marking the highest-ever finish by any C-USA men's runner, after finishing in third place at the C-USA Championships.

He was second at the 1998 C-USA Championship during his freshman season, earning him Freshman of the Year honors and leading the 49ers to a then-best second place finish as a team. His performance still stands as the best-ever finish by a Charlotte men's runner at the C-USA Championships. Svendsen went on to earn NCAA District III All-Region honors that season.

Svendsen broke his own school record en route to a fifth place finish at the 2001 C-USA Championship, earning his third team MVP award. He still holds the school's cross country records for 8,000- and 10,000-meter courses.

Vince Sherry, a four-time all-conference honoree, was the MVP of Charlotte's 2002 Conference USA Championship team. He finished third overall at the championships that season, leading Charlotte to its first-ever C-USA cross country title.

As a sophomore, Sherry finished fourth at the 1999 C-USA Championships, qualifying him for the NCAA Nationals that year. He placed 10th during his first season in 1998, teaming with Svendsen to lead Charlotte to a second place conference finish, and was sixth overall at the C-USA Championships during his junior year.

Sherry holds the second-fastest 8,000- and 10,000-meter course times in school history, and is the school's only four-time all-conference performer in cross country.

C-USA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-DECADE TEAM
Solomon Kandie, Tulane (1999-2001) - ATHLETE OF THE DECADE
Vince Sherry, Charlotte (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002)
Kenneth Svendsen, Charlotte (1998, 1999, 2001)
Chris Reis, Cincinnati (1999-2002)
Kyle MacKenzie, East Carolina (2001-present)
Yoursi El Mejdoubi, Southern Miss (1998-99)
Paul Kemei, Southern Miss (1999)
Eliud Njubi, TCU (2001)
Amos Kipyegon, Tulane (1997-98)
Andrew Smith, USF (1998-02)


C-USA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY COACH OF THE DECADE
Bill Schnier, Cincinnati (1995-present)