Blue Ridge Open
Appalachian State-Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams
BOONE, N.C.- Competing in its largest home meet of the season, and with the Little Brown Jug on the line, the ASU men and women cross country teams each notched a third place finish in their final home meet of the season. Both teams also retained the Little Brown Jug for another year, beating Western Carolina.
The Appalachian men finished third out of 12 teams, with nationally ranked Texas and Duke placing in front of them. Leading the way for the Mountaineers was Phil Mitchell (Glastonbury, Conn./Iona) who grabbed 12th place. Other Apps finishing close by were Brian Deal (Alpharetta, Ga./South Forsyth)placing 15th, and Asmeron Desta (Old Fort, N.C./McDowell), Ryan O’Keefe (Prospect Harbor, Maine/Sumner Memorial) and Alec Meyer (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) taking the 26th, 28th and 30th spots respectively.
The battle for the Little Brown Jug was not as close as expected as ASU scored 98 points in its third place finish and Western Carolina placed tenth overall with 299 points.
As for the women, the number two team in the nation in NAIA competition, Milligan took home the first place finish, with High Point coming in second and Appalachian third. Jen Povick (Charleston, W.Va/Winthrop) carried the Mountaineers finishing sixth with a time of 18:38, while newcomer Charlotte Walsh (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) had an impressive time of 19:06 coming in 21st.
Hannah Parks (Kernersville, N.C./Glenn), Kala Robertson (Dobson, N.C./Highpoint) and Ashley Norris (Boone, N.C./Watuga) also paved the way for Appalachian’s third place finish grabbing 26th, 28th and 32nd places. The right to keep the Little Brown Jug was closer on the women’s side, but ASU prevailed posting 101 points and finishing third, while Western Carolina finished sixth, with 177 points.
The Mountaineers will now turn their focus to the Southern Conference Championships which is the next challenge that lies ahead. ASU will travel to Cullowhee, N.C. as the men look to defend their title and the women vie against other conference competitors for the SoCon title.
UNCG-Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams
BOONE, NC ? The UNC Greensboro men’s cross country team finished 11th behind SoCon rival Appalachian State while the women’s team placed 12th at the Blue Ridge Mountain Open on Friday evening.
The men’s team was led by Xavier Rutz, who posted a season-best 26:00 over the 8k course, to finish in 51st place. Freshmen Anthony Savoia and Andrew Clyne also continued their impressive freshman campaigns. Savoia ran a 26:18 over the course to finish in 65th place while classmate Andrew Clyne took 90th place with a time of 26:47. Also finishing in the Top 100 was sophomore Ryan Rodd, who came in 91st place with a time of 26:50.
Texas placed five runners in the Top 10 en route to the men’s team title. The Longhorns were led by Erik Stanley, who took second place with a time of 24:02 and was the first collegiate runner to cross the finish line.
On the women’s side UNCG was led by freshman Tiffany Garber, who took 71st place with a time of 20:04 over the 5K course. Sophomore Sherrika Jordan was the next Spartan to cross the finish line and took 74th place with a time of 20:05. Mary Ann Rutz, Michelle Chewens and Carly Magin also finished in the Top 100. Rutz took 96th place with a time of 20:30 while Chewens finished in 98th place with a time of 20:34. Magin ran a 20:35 good for a 100th place finish.
Milligin’s Mackenzie LaBonte and Jacklyn Talbert finished in the Top 10 with times of 18:33 and 18:47, respectively to lead Milligin to the team title.
The Spartans return to action Oct. 27 when they head to Cullowhee, NC for the Southern Conference Championships
Western Carolina-Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Team
BOONE, N.C. ? Western Carolina women’s cross country senior Kerrie Savery placed ninth, the highest finisher for the Catamount men’s or women’s team, Friday at the Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State. The Palm Harbor, Fla. Native ran 18:51 in the 5 K race, and it is the third consecutive meet she has recorded the top time for the women. Appalachian State placed higher than Western Carolina in both the men’s and women’s race and both Mountaineer teams retains the Little Brown Jug for another year.
Western Carolina’s women placed sixth in the meet with 177 points and a total time of 1:37:13.00. The Catamount women’s only other top-40 performer was Megan Issacs who placed 35th with a time of 19:20.
The Catamount men placed 10th in the meet with 118 points and a total time of 2:12:48.00. Stephen Hammond was the highest placed finisher for the men finishing 39th with a time of 25:41.
Both Western Carolina teams will be back in action on October 27 when the Catamount men’s and women’s teams play host to the 2007 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships in Cullowhee.