SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – In their final tune-up before the Southeastern Conference Championships, the Kentucky men?s and women?s cross country teams posted impressive showings Saturday at the Cal Poly Invitational.

Led by junior Andre Silva and senior John Richardson, who finished first and second individually, the Wildcat men finished the 8K race in first place with a 32, while the women finished second in the 5K with a 62 behind Oregon State?s 43.

?This was a very successful day for us,? said Pat Tyson, assistant coach for distance and cross country. ?The competition was perfect for us based upon where we are at this point. Hopefully this success will build confidence heading into the SEC meet in two weeks.?

Silva captured the race with a time of 26:01.5, while Richardson was closely behind in second place with a time of 26:01.9. Junior John Thompson finished in eighth place with a 26:35 and junior Zach Wilder, competing in his first meet of the season, was 15th with a 27:04. Other finishers for the UK men included Ryan Finn (18th, 27:14), Bruce Hordusky (27th, 27:35), Chris Long (29th, 27:42) and Stephan Smith (31st, 27:42).

Sophomore Taylor Miller led the way for the UK women for the second time this season, finishing fifth with a time of 18:12. Junior Liliane Sparkes was seventh with a time of 18:19, while sophomore Andrea Halasek was 9th with a time of 18:23. UK?s top three runners finished within 11 seconds of one another. Senior Georganne Way finished in 18th place with an 18:41, while fellow senior Emily King finished in 25th place with a time of 18:52. Other finishers for the UK women included Lavera Morris (32nd, 19:04), Lindsay Petri (50th, 19:35) and Claire Laverty (57th, 19:39).

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 28, when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., for the 2006 Southeastern Conference Championships.

For all of the latest information on Kentucky Cross Country, please log on to ukathletics.com.