Women's Cross Country Southern Conference

Cross Country Capsules for September 21

A Pair of Eighth Place Finishes Leads Davidson at
Winthrop Invitational

For Immediate Release September 21, 2002

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Senior Brad Becken and sophomore Sally Stanhope both finished in eighth place in the gold division of the Quality Inn Winthrop Invitational to lead the Davidson cross country teams in the Saturday morning race.

On the men's side, Becken finished the 8K run in 26:21.29. Junior Chris Schmader placed second for the Wildcats as he crossed the finish line at 26:40.01. Newcomers Austin Mercadante and Jonathan Baker were third and fourth for Davidson respectively.

Rounding out the top seven for the men were juniors Greg Scott and Colby Broadwater along with sophomore Kevin Bell. The team placed third behind High Point and UNC Asheville in the nine-team affair.

For the women, Stanhope ran the 5K course in 19:10.81. Right on her heels was freshman Allie Martin in ninth place with a time of 19:11.70. Junior Laura Puckett and freshman Hilary Leister placed third and fourth for the Wildcats.

Senior Liz Gross, sophomore Sarah Baxter and junior Emily Einstein were the other 'Cats involved in the team scoring. As a team, Davidson placed second, right behind UNC Asheville in the 10-team contest.

Complete results can be found at www.winthropeagles.com.

Davidson is back in action on Friday, Sept. 27, as the Wildcats participate in the Great American Race hosted by the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, N.C.

VMI MEN'S & WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS
PLACE FOURTH AT JMU INVITATIONAL

NEW MARKET, Va. -- The VMI men's cross country team placed fourth of eight
teams at the JMU Open Invitational on Saturday morning, while the women's
team placed fourth of six teams. VMI posted 105 points in the men's
competition, 91 points behind meet-winner Penn State. Host James Madison
won the women's competition with 16 points, 75 ahead of the Keydets. The
meet was run at the New Market Battlefield.

Senior Keydet Thomas Gorski (Marietta, Ga./ Pope) paced the men's team,
finishing in 10th place with a time of 126:13.05 on the 8,000-meter course.
Junior Ryan Walker (Chester, Va./ Benedictine) placed 13th with a time of
26:24.61.

Freshman Anber Blain (Chesapeake, Va./ Western Branch) finished first among
VMI women's runners, placing 13th, with a time of 19:48.5 on the 5,000-meter
course. Senior Alia Hamad (Alexandria, Va./ Bishop Ireton) came in 15th
place, clocking a time 19:56.3.

VMI will compete again on October 5 at the Hagan Stone Invitational in
Greensboro, N.C. The meet begins at 6 p.m.

JMU Cross Country Open Invitational - New Market, Va. (8,000 meters - men,
5,000 meters -women)

TEAM RESULTS

Men
1. Penn State 14
2. James Madison 52
3. Lynchburg 86
4. VMI 105
5. George Mason 141
6. Eastern Mennonite 164
7. Shenandoah 198
8. Longwood 208

Women
1. James Madison 16
2. George Mason 84
3. Eastern Mennonite 88
4. VMI 91
5. Longwood 116
6. Lynchburg 119

Keydet Finishers (Women)
Amber Blain 13th 19:48.5
Alia Hamad 15th 19:56.3
Melissa Ward 24th 21:09.3
Karen Wheeler 28th 21:27.9
Nicolete Weaver 29th 21:32.2

Keydet Finishers (Men)
Thomas Gorski 10th 26:13.05
Ryan Walker 13th 26:24.61
Shawn Hogan 34th 28:16.68
John Johnson 35th 28:16.68
Nick Mazzenga 37th 28:33.95


Furman Sweeps Pre-Southern Conference Meet

Charleston, S.C. -- Furman's men's and women's cross country teams
captured first place finishes in the Pre-Southern Conference Meet held at
the College of Charleston's Dixie Plantation on Saturday.

In the women's event, the Lady Paladins took five of the top seven
spots to finish with 23 points. Georgia Southern placed second with 54
points, South Carolina was third with 68 points, followed by College of
Charleston (87) and The Citadel (137).

South Carolina's Jenny Lake won the 5K run with a time of 19:05.58.
Furman's Whitney Kay Sharp was second with a time of 19:20.29, while
teammate Bev Roberts placed third (19:25.97). Georgia Southern top
performer was Brittney Swick (4th place, 19:28.15), for College of
Charleston Elizabeth Rose finished 15th (20:36.97), while The Citadel's was
paced by Olivia Perry-Smith's 24th place finish (21:32.18).

Furman completed the sweep with a 15 point total in the men's meet.
The Citadel (62) edged the College of Charleston (62) for second place in
the men's three-team event.

Kevin Crosby won the 8K run with a time of 26:00.96 as the Paladins
claimed the first six spots in the event. College of Charleston's Aubrey
Florence placed seventh with a time of 28:18.05, while The Citadel's top
finisher was Stewart Campbell (9th, 28:53.28).

Dixie Plantation is the site for the Men's and Women's Southern
Conference Cross Country Championships to be held on November 2nd.