Spartanburg, SC -- The Southern Conference fall championships season kicks off this weekend with the 2005 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships in Statesboro, GA, on Sunday, October 30. Both meets will take place at the Southern Links Golf Club beginning at 9:00 a.m. with the women’s 5K race, followed by the men’s 8K at 9:45 a.m.
The Chattanooga men’s team swept first place in the 2004 championship winning both the team and individual titles. The Mocs were led by the 2003 defending individual champion, senior Steve Kocsis with a time of 25.34. Kocsis was followed by three other teammates who finished in the top ten beating out Appalachian State. However, the Mountaineers were picked first in the 2005 coach’s preseason poll earning seven first place votes followed by Chattanooga, which earned three first place votes.
ASU currently holds six of the top ten ranked runners in the conference standings, including three runners in the top five. Mountaineer senior, Adam Van Nortwick, currently has the top time in the Southern Conference at 24:24. Appalachian State, Chattanooga, and Western Carolina have control of the top ten rankings. Led by the 2003 and 2004 SoCon Coach of the Year, Bill Gautier, Chattanooga has two of the top ten ranked runners. Senior Mocs Ian Mayne (24.31) and Colin Sullivan (24:46) hold the second and third place standings. Rounding out the top five are Appalachian junior Mark Madox (24:51) and senior Nathan Hernandez-Adamst (24:53). Western Carolina also has two of the top ten spots.
Among current SoCon schools, the Appalachian men lead the conference with eight titles, including one shared title with ETSU in 1989. They are followed by defending champion, Chattanooga, with four titles, and Furman with three.
The Chattanooga women also took the 2004 crown to claim their first team title since 2001. UTC is slated to repeat its victory in this year’s preseason poll sweeping the first place votes. The Lady Mocs hold three of the top ten slots in the conference standings, including the number one ranked runner Shannon Wommack, with a time of 17:03. Wommack paced the Lady Mocs in last year’s championship winning the individual title with a time of 17:38.
The Mountaineers came in second behind Chattanooga (25-29) in 2004, placing three runners in the top ten of last year’s race, led by 2003 individual champion Katie Sujkowski. ASU was picked second by the coaches in the 2005 preseason poll with a total of 85 points followed closely by Davidson with 81 points. Together, both Appalachian and Davidson each have three runners ranked in the top ten, two of the top three slots belonging to the Wildcats. Sophomore Brenna Burns (17:56) and senior Allie Martin (18:16) of Davidson hold the number two and number three slot, respectively. Senior Ellen Davis (18:21) of UTC and junior Kasey Smith (18:36) of ASU round out the top five.
Appalachian State has won nine titles, including seven straight from 1986-92. The Mountaineers are followed by Furman and defending champion Chattanooga, who each own four titles. Davidson holds the 2003 title.
Southern Links Golf Club is located at 1031 Golf Club Road; Statesboro, GA 30458. Admission to the event is free to the public. Results and other information can be found at www.SoConSports.com.