WOMEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Lanni Marchant ? Chattanooga
Senior ? Maryville, Tenn. (3.862 GPA - Economics, Pre-Law Majors)
Lanni finished first in a field of 84 runners at the Tennessee Invitational in a 5k time of 18:05. Team competing included Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Georgia State and VMI and was her second win of the season. Lanni along with being named Academic All American she had the highest GPA on campus at Chattanooga. She finished second in the 2004 SoCon cross country championships and sat out last season in preparation for her senior season of eligibility.
Other top performers:
Tessa Dispennette, So, UNCG (Pittsboro, N.C. Northwood HS ? Exercise and Sport Science Major 2.80 GPA) Tessa finished 17th out of 149 runners at the Winthrop Asics Invitational running 19:47. In her first 5k race in three years, she ran a personal record and came within two seconds of her 5k track personal record. Competing schools were Winthrop, UNC-Charlotte, Davidson, Furman, Wofford and the College of Charleston.
Kasey Smith, Sr, Appalachian State (Walnut Cove, N.C. ? Health Promotion Major) Kasey finished fourth at the Western Carolina Open covering the 4k course in 14:23 and leading the Mountaineers to a second place finish. Appalachian outscored the Catamounts 15-50 in the annual battle for the Queen of the Mountain Jug.
Brenna Burns, Jr, Davidson In her first race of the season Brenna won the Winthrop Asics Invitational in a course record time of 18:23, beating NCAA regional qualifier Teshawe Dagnewe from UNC-Charlotte. She led Davidson to the team championship with 27 points in a field that included Winthrop, UNC-Charlotte, Furman, Wofford, College of Charleston and South Carolina.