September 16, 2005 -
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston men's and women's cross country teams dropped a pair of dual meets to Elon at the Southeastern Collegiate Cross Country Open hosted by Winston-Salem State University at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, N.C. on Friday.
Elon won the women's 5,610-meter race, 21-38. The Phoenix claimed a 21-34 decision in the men's 8K race.
The Cougars' top three runners in the women's race were Katie Hedley at 21:41, Wells Trompeter at 22:18 and Heather Clark with a time of 22:22.
Max Gustaitis led the CofC men with a time of 26:27. Harrison Johnson ran the meet in 26:38 and Michael Rella finished in a time of 26:38.
CofC's men and women compete in The Citadel Invitational next Saturday at James Island County Park.
September 16, 2005 - Brendon Helms Records Top Mountaineer Finish at Appalachian Cross Country Open
BOONE, N.C. ? The Mountaineers grabbed seven of the top-eight spots, led by junior Brendon Helmes (Matthews, N.C.), at the Appalachian Cross Country Open Friday in Boone.
Helmes finished second in the men’s four mile with a time of 21:11.23. He was followed closely by teammates Ryan O’Keefe (third, 21:11.55), Brian Deal (fourth, 21:11.82), Mark Maddox (fifth, 21:12.15), Nathan Hernandez-Adams (sixth, 21:12.45) and Mike Mitchell (seventh, 21:13.09).
Brendan O’Keefe finished first in the event, representing Zap Fitness, with a time of 19:58.49. Members of the ASU Track Club and the University of Virginia College at Wise also competed in the meet.
The Mountaineers competed strictly as individuals, as they were the only team competing.
Appalachian remains at home as it hosts the Mountaineer Open, Friday, Sept. 30 in Boone.
September 17, 2005 - Davidson Comes Up With Second Place Finish at Winthrop Invitational
ROCK HILL, S.C. ? The Davidson men's cross country team ran in its second meet of the year at the Winthrop Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17 and earned a second-place finish on the day. The Wildcats finished the meet with 54 points as High Point University was tops with 39 points.
Davidson had three runners finish in the top 10 in the 8K run. Senior Austin Mercadante (Winter Park, Fla.) led the way with a sixth-place finish as he ran to a time of 26:49. Right behind him was fellow senior Jonathan Baker (Novelty, Ohio) and freshman Lance Harden (Apex, N.C.) with times of 26:51 and 27:06, respectively.
High Point's Tamas Kovacs claimed the men's individual crown, while teammate Kyle Lounsbury earned a second-place finish in helping High Point to the team championship.
The Davidson harriers will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Paul Short Run at Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.
September 17, 2005 - Wofford men's cross country completes Winthrop/Asics Invitational
The Wofford men's cross country finished sixth out of seven teams Saturday morning at the Winthrop/Asics Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C. The Terriers earned a team score of 187 in the 8k meet.
Freshman Kemp Anderson led Wofford with a 39th-place time of 31:13, less than a minute ahead of teammate Chris Williams. Williams garnered a 41st-place time of 31:46.
In 44th place was Brian Smith with a time of 32:29, followed by Tommy Weber (45th/32:45) and Trey Antley (46th/34:12).
Junior Andrew Powell, who was competing in his first meet of the season due to plantar fascitis, notched a 49th-place time of 34:52. He edged teammate Andrew Harris, who placed 50th with a time of 36:03.
"Andrew Powell displayed a solid effort in his first race back from a semester long struggle," said head coach Andrea Stehman. "Our group did a good job of working together. We just need to get our pack farther forward."
The Terriers will take next weekend off before returning to competition Friday, Sept. 30, at the Gardner-Webb Invitational in Boiling Springs, N.C.
September 17, 2005 - Furman Men Second, Women Third at Coastal Carolina Invitational
Conway, S.C. -- The Furman men’s cross country team placed second and the women’s team placed third at the Coastal Carolina Cross Country Invitational Saturday morning in Conway, S.C.
Senior Tyler Johnson led three Paladins in the top ten with a third place finish in 26:18.44. Eric Albrecht (26:45.09) and freshman Joe Tenini
(27:36.45) placed fifth and eighth, respectively, in the 8K event.
Coastal Carolina grabbed the top two spots and seven of the top ten positions to claim the team title.
The Chanticleers also placed three runners in the top four positions to take first in the women’s 5K race followed by UNC Wilmington and Furman.
Sophomores Page Bridges and Mo Campbell notched top ten finishes for the Lady Paladins. Bridges scored a seventh place finish in 19:32.98 while Campbell finished ninth with a time of 19:46.53.
Furman continues its season next Saturday as the men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to Charleston, S.C., to participate in The Citadel Invitational.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2005 - UNCG cross country teams finish fourth at Winthrop Invitational
ROCK HILL, S.C. ? Jess Weber finished in eighth place and Keith Gruchacz finished in 11th place to highlight the UNC Greensboro men’s and women’s cross country teams’ four place finishes at the Winthrop / Asics Invitational this past weekend.
Weber finished the women’s 5000-meter course in 20:17. UNCG’s Eleanor Wilson also recorded a Top 20 finish with a time of 20:47.
Gruchacz completed the 8000-meter men’s course in a time of 27:14. Charles Gibson and Nick Vaccaro also recorded Top 20 finishes, placing 15th and 16th, respectively. Gibson finished with a time of 27:30, three seconds ahead of Vaccaro.