Jan. 13, 2006

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - West Florida men's and women's head cross country coach Matt Dobson started the new year by earning a fourth place finish at the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. Dobson was the overall winner the last time he ran at the Disney Marathon in 2004.

"I was satisfied and pleased with the way I ran, considering the lack of training I had prior to the race," said Dobson. "I had a sinus infection a few days before the race, but it did not affect me that much during the race."

Dobson was the third American and first runner from Florida to cross the finish line in a time of 2:33:37. He also tallied the fastest time among male and female runners in the 35-39 year old age group. More than 10,000 runners from all 50 states and around the world competed in the race. Brazil's Adriano Bastos won the race with an overall time of 2:19:44.

Dobson and his men's and women's cross country squads will participate in the Mountaineer Winter Open Indoor Track Meet in Boone, N.C. on Jan. 27-28.