MEN'S RESULTS
WOMEN'S RESULTS
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Appalachian State men’s cross country team and the Chattanooga Lady Mocs claimed the team titles at the 2006 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships along the Tennessee River at the Moccasin Bend race course Saturday morning.
The Mountaineers placed three in the top 10 led by redshirt freshman Phil Mitchell who took first in the men’s race. He finished in a time of 25:17.19 over the 8K course and was named the Southern Conference Runner of the Year.
“I was hurting, but I thought I had a chance,” Mitchell said. “Once I made my move, I had to stick with it. I react well to my coaches and teammates. I got fired up near the spectator area.”
Appalachian State scored 51 points followed by second-place Furman with 70 points. UNC Greensboro was third with 94 points, Davidson placed fifth with 104 points and host Chattanooga was fifth with 121 points.
Furman’s Morgan Patrick was second in a time of 25:22.57 followed by Davidson’s Lance Harden. Chattanooga’s Tim Clark was the Mocs’ top finisher in fourth, and UNC Greensboro’s Josh Wyatt was fifth.
Appalachian State’s Josh Houser was the league’s Freshman of the Year, finishing 18th. Furman head coach Gene Mullin was named the Coach of the Year on the men's side after his team finished second.
In the women’s race, Chattanooga senior Lanni Marchant claimed her first Southern Conference championship title and led the Lady Mocs to a narrow one-point win over Appalachian State to claim the 2006 SoCon title. She led three Lady Mocs in the top 10 with a first-place time of 17:01.17 over the 5000-meter course.
“Winning the team title makes this a thousand times better,” Marchant said. “After I finished, I turned around and started counting girls. I knew it would be close.”
After losing to Davidson last year by one point in the championship, the Lady Mocs made it just as close this season with a 43-44 win over Appalachian State to claim their fifth SoCon title.
Chattanooga, Appalachian State and Davidson each placed three runners in the top 10. The Mountaineers were paced by Jenna Wrieden in second with a time of 17:24.10. Davidson’s Brenna Burns was third at 17:39.33 followed by Appalachian State’s Meghan Gaffney and Kasey Smith in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Elon’s Caitlin Beeler finished ninth overall with a time of 17:59.47 and was named the conference Freshman of the Year. Chattanooga’s Bill Gautier was named the SoCon Women’s Coach of the Year for the fifth time since arriving at Chattanooga.
“I’m very proud of the way Lanni has stepped up and taken over the leadership role, “Gautier said. “She deserves the honor of being the best runner in the Southern Conference. She worked hard to get to that point and knew it was her turn to step up.”
Following several days of rain, both the men’s and women’s courses had to be reworked to avoid a small lake.
“Special thanks to Bill Gautier and his staff,” Appalachian State's Mike Curcio said. “He did a superb job with the course under adverse conditions Friday. He made it safe for the spectators and for the student-athletes.”
Men’s Team Results
1. Appalachian State, 51
2. Furman, 70
3. UNC Greensboro, 94
4. Davidson, 104
5. Chattanooga, 121
6. The Citadel, 164
7. Elon, 174
8. College of Charleston, 175
9. Western Carolina, 207
10. Wofford, 289
Women’s Team Results
1. Chattanooga, 43
2. Appalachian State, 44
3. Davidson, 53
4. Elon, 124
5. College of Charleston, 132
6. Furman, 138
7. Western Carolina, 241
8. The Citadel, 247
9. UNC Greensboro, 264
10. Georgia Southern, 276
11. Wofford, 282