UNCG’s Rodd sets PR as Spartan men 10th, women 9th at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, NC ? Ryan Rodd broke a personal record by 20 seconds as UNC Greensboro’s men’s cross country team placed 10th and the women’s team placed ninth at the Blue Ridge Open Cross Country Meet hosted by Appalachian State on Friday evening.
Rodd ran a time of 26:40, crossing the line with a pack of Spartan runners in a tie for 46th place. Josh Wyatt completed the 8000 meter course in 26:39.7, Xavier Rutz crossed the line alongside Rodd, and Keith Gruchacz crossed in 26:40.6.
On the women’s side, UNCG’s Jess Weber finished in 35th place with a time of 19:56.1. Tessa Dispennette was UNCG’s next finisher, crossing the line with a time of 20:26.9, which was good for 53rd place among the 116 competitors.
High Point won the men’s race, outlasting host Appalachian State, while the host Mountaineers won the women’s race.
UNCG returns to action on October 28 when it competes at the Southern Conference Championship meet, which will be hosted this year by Chattanooga.
AGATE
MEN’S TEAM SCORES: High Point 50, Appalachian State 59, Vanderbilt 106, UNC Wilmington 136, East Tennessee State 142, Radford 156, Mars Hill 189, Elon 214, Appalachian State Club 216, UNC Greensboro 233, Western Carolina 245, Lenoir-Rhyne 246, Milligan 367, King College 385.
UNCG RUNNERS: 45. Josh Wyatt 26:39.7, t-46. Xavier Rutz 26:40.0; t-46. Ryan Rodd 26:40.0; 49. Keith Gruchacz 26:40.6; 72. Nick Vaccaro 27:32.1, 82. Justin Ruppe 27:52.7, 90. T.J. Wyatt 28:05.0, 122. Lincoln Bennett 29:42.7, 139. Tim Kwak 31:58.0.
WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES: Appalachian State 30, Vanderbilt 68, Milligan 86, High Point 110, Elon 116, UNC Wilmington 176, Radford 205, Western Carolina 238, UNC Greensboro 252, King College 274.
UNCG RUNNERS: 35. Jess Weber 19:56.1, 53. Tessa Dispennette 20:26.9, 59. Sherrika Jordan 20:35.5, 83. Carly Magin 21:39.8, 115. Becca Colangelo 24:53.0.
Appalachian Men Place Second at Blue Ridge Open
October 13, 2006 - BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men’s cross country team finished second in the Blue Ridge Open on its newly dedicated Kennedy Trails Friday afternoon. High Point won the event with 50 points, while the Mountaineers had 59 points in the 14-team event.
Phil Mitchell was ASU’s top scorer with a ninth-place time of 25:19.0 on the 8-kilometer course. Brendan O’Keefe of Zap Fitness won the event with a time of 24:33.7. The first four runners across the finish line were members of the Zap Fitness squad. East Tennessee’s Mike Deren was the top collegiate runner with a time of 24:53.1.
Also scoring for the Apps was Brendan Helms in 12th at 25:32.0, Ryan O’Keefe in 16th at 25:37.4, Asmeron Desta in 26th at 26:07.8 and Josh Houser in 28th with a 26:11.2 finish.
The Mountaineers will now rest and continue their preparations for the Southern Conference Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. on October 28.
Team Scores
1) High Point ? 50
2) Appalachian ? 59
3) Vanderbilt ? 106
4) UNC Wilmington ? 136
5) ETSU ? 142
6) Radford ? 156
7) Mars Hill ? 189
8) Elon ? 214
9) ASU Track Club ? 216
10) UNC Greensboro ? 233
11) Western Carolina ? 245
12) Lenior-Rhyne ? 246
13) Milligan ? 367
14) King College ? 385
Mountaineer Women Claim First at Blue Ridge Open
October 13, 2006 - BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women’s cross country team claimed first-place in the Blue Ridge Open Friday afternoon on the newly christened Kennedy Trails. The Mountaineers had four top-10 finishes, including Jenna Wrieden’s winning time of 17:53.9 on the 5-kilometer course.
Appalachian finished with 30 points, well in front of second-place Vanderbilt’s 68 points in the ten-team field. Kasey Smith finished won the battle for third place with a 18:19.0 finish, edging out teammate Meghan Gaffney’s by two-tenths of second. Hannah Parks rounded out the top-10 finishes with an eighth-place time of 18:58.4. Appalachian’s final scorer, Anna Baker, came in 14th place with a time of 19:11.1 in the 116-runner field.
The Mountaineers will rest up before traveling to Chattanooga on October 18 for the Southern Conference Championship.
Team Scores
1. Appalachian 30
2. Vanderbilt 68
3. Milligan 86
4. High Point 110
5. Elon 116
6. UNCW 176
7. Radford 205
8. W. Carolina 238
9. UNCG 252
10. King 274
Western Carolina Cross Country Competes at the Blue Ridge Open
Savery leads the women while Fassinger paces the men
Boone, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's and women's cross country teams were among 14 teams that competed in the Blue Ridge Open Friday afternoon at the newly dedicated Don Kennedy trails in Boone. The Catamount women finished eighth out of 10 squads while the men were 11th out of 14 teams.
Appalachian State won the women's team crown by 38 points over second-place Vanderbilt, while High Point edged the home-standing Mountaineers by nine points to win the men's team competitioin.
Junior Kerrie Savery posted the best finish for the Catamount women, running 27th with a time of 19:37, with sophomore Skye Aiello in 30th four seconds back, crossing the line in 19:41.
For the men, senior Dan Fassinger was the highest finisher with a 19th-place showing, maneuvering the new 8K course in 25:50.
Western is scheduled to compete in the Front Runner Invitational on Saturday afternoon in Chattanooga, Tenn., which is the site of the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships on October 28.
Furman Men Finish Third, Women Second at 34th Annual Furman Invitational
Albrecht, Johnson finish sixth for Paladins.
Oct. 14, 2006
Greenville, S.C. - The Furman men's cross country team finished third, and the women's team finished second at the 34th annual running of the Furman Invitational meet held on the Furman University Golf Course on Saturday morning.
Eric Albrecht and Brittany Johnson each placed sixth for the Paladins. Albrecht finished the 8K course with a time of 26:13, while Johnson finished with a mark of 18:57 on the 5K course.
Andy Baksa, an unattached runner competing in the men's college/open race, earned the individual title with a time of 25:24. North Carolina claimed the team title with 44 team points, including six runners in the top 20.
Sarah Coughlan of North Florida took the women's top honors with a final time of 18:20. North Florida also took the team crown with 73 points, edging Furman's 83 points, while the Ospreys claimed two of the top three spots.
Patrick Morgan (26:15) finished seventh for Furman, and Sam Robinson (26:50) placed 22nd overall for Furman. Page Bridges (19:21) earned 12th place, and Lisa Mulvey (19:45) 20th place for the Lady Paladins.
Furman returns to action on October 28 as the Paladins travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. to participate in the 2006 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships.
Mocs First, Lady Mocs Second at FrontRunner
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Chattanooga men’s cross country team finished ahead of Samford, Georgia Tech and Western Kentucky to claim the FrontRunner Invitational title Saturday afternoon at the Moccasin Bend Race Course. Four Lady Mocs placed in the top 10 finishing second behind Georgia Tech in the women’s race.
Tim Clark led a trio of Chattanooga runners to top 10 finishes over the 5K course placing third overall in a time of 15:24. Jeff Taylor was just seven seconds back in fourth place while Michael Mentz placed sixth in a time of 15:37. Clark improved on his 5K time from a race earlier this season by 35 seconds while Taylor’s time climbed by nearly 40 seconds.
Jordan Longstreth was 14th for the Mocs at 15:56 and Kevin Huwe rounded out the scoring with a 16th place finish at 15:58. Andy Highlander was 30th for UTC with a time of 16:57.
Marchant, in her fourth race this season, claimed her third victory racing to a first place finish in a time of 10:49. She improved on her previous time by 14 seconds.
“I ran with a runner from Samford,” Marchant said. “She paced me for the first mile and that helped improve my time.”
Nettie Halcomb was sixth for the Lady Mocs with a time of 11:17 and Sabrina Lefort was seventh with a time of 11:30. Katie Williams improved her previous 2-mile time by 22 seconds with a 10th place finish at 10:37. Freshman Shelley Taylor raced to a 17th place finish with a time of 12:06 to round out the scoring five for Chattanooga and Emmy Stuart was 23rd with a time of 12:33 for Chattanooga.
Former Mocs runner Colin Sullivan ran unattached and finished first in the men’s race with a time of 14:53.
UTC will take the next two weeks off in preparation for the Southern Conference Championships to be held Oct. 28 at the Moccasin Bend Race Course.
Scoring
Men
1. Chattanooga 43
2. Samford 59
3. Georgia Tech 62
4. Western Kentucky 65
5. Middle Tennessee 137
6. Sewanee 152
7. Fisk 220
Women
1. Georgia Tech 34
2. Chattanooga 41
3. Samford 67
4. Middle Tennessee 113
5. Georgia Southern 139
6. Tennessee State 176
7. Vanderbilt 178
8. Montevallo 184
9. Sewanee 201
10. Fisk 284
Georgia Southern Cross Country competes for fifth place finish in FrontRunner Invitational
Statesboro, Ga. ? The Georgia Southern Eagles came in fifth at the FrontRunner Invitational hosted by UT-Chattanooga. Five GSU runners battled the 2MI Moccasin Bend Race Course combining for a total score of 139.
Leading GSU was junior Abby Bloom (Snellville, Ga.) finishing in 12:24 with only 20 runners ahead of her. Just behind her was freshman Laura Fuller (Cartersville, Ga.) coming in 24th in 12:29. At 12:34 was 27th place finisher Jessica Kerzie, a senior from Marietta, Ga.
Also running for the Eagles was sophomore Danielle Shaurette of Buford, Ga. and Kellie Wesson, a freshman from Douglasville, Ga. They completed the course in 13:03 and 13:15, respectively.
The meet saw a total of 10 teams and 72 runners.
“We ran a short course but it’s the same course we will be running in two weeks. We got to see what it was like today. It really was just a chance to run it” said head coach Natalie Smith. “Overall we competed well. It gave the girls a chance to rest. It’s time for us to back off and do the little things.”
Georgia Southern will return to Chattanooga in two weeks to compete in the Southern Conference Championships. The Eagles came in 10th at last years meet and looks to improve that finish this year. Teams are scheduled to take the course at 5 pm.
Noreen Paces Davidson Men’s Cross Country Team at Winthrop Fall Classic
For Immediate Use
Saturday, October 14, 2006
ROCK HILL, S.C. ?? Senior Douglas Noreen (Apex, N.C.) earned a 10th place finish out of 102 runners and the Davidson men's cross country team finished seventh overall at the 6K Winthrop Fall Classic on Saturday, Oct. 14. Richmond took home top team honors with 37 points, while Brandon Hudgins of Winthrop was the top individual runner with a time of 18:35.
Noreen picked up a team-best time of 19:12 in the 6K race in leading Davidson to its 7th place finish out of 12 teams. Senior Alex Varner (San Rafael, Calif.) gave the Wildcats two runners to finish in the top-20 when he crossed the finish line with a second-best team time of 19:24 for a 15th place showing.
The Wildcats will now prepare themselves for a run at the Southern Conference Championships, which will be held in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 28. Last season Davidson picked up a 4th place finish, which was the best finish since the 2001 squad's fourth place showing. No Davidson men's cross country team has ever finished higher than third in the SoCon with only three teams having ever finished third, the 1937, ' 38 and ' 55 teams.
Top Wildcat Finishers (Men's 6K)
19:12 Douglas Noreen (10th)
19:24 Alex Varner (15th)
20:08 Thad Sieracki (44th)
20:41 Blake Evitt (59th)
21:06 Peter Bruton (71st)
21:55 Quin Patton (83rd)
Bulldog Women Fifth, Men Fourth at Winthrop Fall Cross Country Classic
Rock Hill, S.C. ? Senior Laura Hewston and freshmen Katheryn Gatewood and Natalie Wolin all finished back-to-back-to-back, leading The Citadel women to a fifth place finish at the Winthrop Fall Classic Saturday. On the men’s side, seniors Will Wilson finished 12th and was followed by Matt Holmes’ 13th-place finish, leading the men to a fourth place finish.
Hewston finished 25th overall with a 4k time of 15:37 on the heels of being named the Southern Conference Women’s Runner of the Week. She was followed by the 26th place finish of Gatewood, who finished with a time of 15:40. Wolin was right behind Gatewood as her time of 15:42 put her 27th overall.
On the men’s side, Wilson and Holmes continued to roll as Wilson’s 12th place finish was the second in two weeks for the senior from Columbia, S.C. Wilson ran the 6k race in 19:17 and was immediately followed by fellow senior Matt Holmes, who ran 19:21.
The Winthrop Fall Classic is the final tune-up for the Bulldogs before the Southern Conference Championships. This year’s SoCon Championships will be held in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Oct. 28.
Arnold, Gustaitis Pace College of Charleston
Ashley Arnold ran 14:49 for a fifth place finish in the Winthrop Fall Classic to pace College of Charleston as the Cougars placed second overall in 4K cross country race, and Max Gustaitis ran 19:35 for 23rd in the men’s 6K race.
Ashley Arnold ran 14:49 for a fifth place finish in the Winthrop Fall Classic to pace College of Charleston as the Cougars placed second overall in 4K cross country race, and Max Gustaitis ran 19:35 for 23rd in the men’s 6K race.
The University of Richmond won both races, with the women earning 24 points and the men tallying 37 points.
Charleston trailed with 63 points on the women’s side, and the men garnered 159 points for their sixth place finish.
Along with Arnold, three other Charleston runners finished in the top 20 on the women’s side ? Karen Corson (14:59) for seventh place, Wells Trompeter (15:06) for 11th place and Katie Hedley (15:27) for the 19th place.
Amy Laughlin clocked 15:30 for 21st place, followed by Lyndsay Smith with 15:35 for 23rd place, Heather Clark with 15:44 for 29th place, Sarah Massenburg with 15:47 for 32nd place and Sawyer Langston with 16:58 for 59th place.
Aubrey Darnell took 26th place in the men’s race with a time of 19:43. He was followed by J.C. Koziel with 19:57 for 34th, Michael Rella with 20:19 for 49th, Timothy Faugl with 20:51 for 66th and Nate Attard with 26:31 for 98th place.
The CofC cross country teams will run in the Southern Conference championship meet on Oct. 28 in Chattanooga, Tenn.