Appalachian State men and women finish fourth at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's cross country posted a strong performance Friday afternoon at the ever-competitive Blue Ridge Open, as the Mountaineers notched a fourth place finish overall in the Men’s Gold race, scoring 119 points. North Carolina took home the team title with 43 points, while Queens University and Duke grabbed the second and third place spots.
Phil Mitchell paced the Apps, placing 12th overall with a time of 24:57. Asmeron Desta was the next best finisher for Appalachian, placing 30th, while Josh Houser finished 33rd and Mike Walker, Sean Soderman and Ryan O'Keefe took the 43rd, 45th and 49th place spots.
As a team, the Black and Gold defeated all SoCon competitors, with Elon having the next best team finish at 7th. The Apps were also able to beat Western Carolina, and keep the King of the Mountain title for another year, along with the Old Mountain Jug.
In the men’s open race, Andrew Yarchin had a solid showing, finishing ninth with a time of 27:03, while teammates Colin Davis, Brian Graves and Nick O'Keefe placed 12th, 13th and 14th respectively.
ASU returns to action Saturday November 1, as the Apps look to win their fourth Southern Conference title in a row, having won titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The SoCon Championships will be held in Spartanburg, S.C.
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's cross country had an impressive showing Friday afternoon at the Blue Ridge Open, as the Mountaineers took home fourth place with 127 points, out of 26 teams in the Women's Gold race. Clemson captured the team title with 74 points, while High Point, and Coastal Carolina finished second and third, respectively.
Senior Meg Gaffney led the way for the Apps, finishing second overall with a time of 18:00. Although the New Jersey native finished second, she was the first collegiate finisher, as former Olympian Zola Bud was the top finisher with a time of 17:58. Teammates Hannah Parks, Stephanie Chapman, Charlotte Walsh and Ashley Norris all had strong performances as well, grabbing the 30th, 36th, 37th and 48th spots.
As a squad, the Mountaineers were able to defeat all other SoCon competitors, including conference rivals Davidson, Elon and Western Carolina. By defeating the Catamounts, ASU was able to keep its title of Queen of the Mountain and the Old Mountain Jug for another year. The Apps also defeated Southeast regional foe Charlotte.
In the women’s open race, Krystie Schlueb finished sixth with a time of 19:52, while freshmen Kelsey Hanger and Kristen Azarelo placed 15th and 16th.
The Black and Gold return to action in two weeks, as they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to vie for the Southern Conference title on November 1.
College of Charleston women finish 10th, men 20th at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. ? The College of Charleston cross-country program took part in the annual Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State University on Friday afternoon in Boone, N.C.
Overall, the women’s team placed 10th out of 26 programs, while the men’s squad finished 20th out of 26 schools.
Individually for the women, Kristen Wolfe led the way, placing 28th in a time of 19:06 on the 5k Kennedy Trails Course. Other top finishers for the women’s squad included Erin Stoddard, who placed 39th in a time of 19:14 and Becky Stewart who finished in 19:50 to place 82nd.
Individually for the men, Trevor Sprague was the top finisher after he ran the 8K course in 27:18 to place 114th. Eric Robertson finished in 27:20 to finish 110th, while Christian Bailey finished 135th in a time of 27:35.
The Cougars are idle until Nov. 1st when they take part in the 2008 Southern Conference Championships in Spartanburg, S.C.
Davidson women finish fifth, men 10th at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. - In heir final race before heading to the Southern Conference Championships, the Davidson men's cross country team collected their second top-ten finish of the year, coming in tenth place at the Blue Ridge Classic in Boone, N.C. over the weekend.
The Wildcats were led by senior Alex Hoyt, whose time of 25:46 was good for a team-best 31st place finish and was nine seconds better than his record-setting run in his last race. Hoyt now holds two of the top-ten 8K times in Davidson school history, both set in his last two competitions.
Senior Lance Harden ran the 8K course in a time of 26:10 to put him in 48th place among attached runners. He was followed by Thad Sieracki's 50th-place finish and time of 26:17, in the top 50.
Rounding out the Wildcat contingent was Greg Marcil (71st/26:50), Ian Tupper (76th/26:56), Ryan Hopkins (85th/26:56), and Peter Bruton (98th/27:24).
As a team, Davidson finished with 276 points, a total that was better than four of their fellow SoCon competitors that ran in the meet and putting them in tenth out of 26 teams in attendance.
Davidson will not turn their attention to the Southern Conference Championships on Nov. 1 in Spartanburg, S.C. Last season, the 'Cats turned in a strong team performance on their way to a fourth-place finish at the 2007 SoCon Championships.
BOONE, N.C. -- In the final tune-up before the Southern Conference Championships, senior Caroline Sanker finished fourth to lead the Davidson Wildcat women's cross country team to a fifth-place team finish at the Blue Ridge Open Friday afternoon.
Sanker finished seventh overall (fourth of attached runners) with a time of 18:27.
Freshman Jane Gay placed 38th with a time of 19:14, and senior Emily King was 49th overall with a time of 19:24.
Sophomore Lauren Childs placed 52nd in a time of 19:26, and classmate Danielle Ruggeri rounded out the team's scoring with a 57th-place finish in a time of 19:31.
The Wildcats amassed 173 points to finish in fifth place of the 26 teams in attendance. Clemson finished first with a total of 74 points, followed by High Point (83), Coastal Carolina (111) and host Appalachian (127).
Davidson will now focus its energies on the 2008 Southern Conference Championships in Spartanburg, S.C. on November 1.
Elon men and women finish seventh at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. -- Elon's Ricky Myers ran a personal best time of 25:50 to place 33rd overall and lead the Phoenix to a seventh place finish out of 26 teams at the Blue Ridge Open hosted by league rival Appalachian State on Friday. Elon placed second among the seven Southern Conference participants.
Eric Lewandowski notched a time of 26:04 to finish 43rd while teammate Matthew Richardson crossed the finish line one second later to claim 44th place. Justin Gianni's 26:31 placed him 57th.
William Schefer (26:45; 66nd), Jason MacCollum (27:01; 82nd) and Clayton Sankey (27:06; 84th) rounded out the field for the Phoenix.
The field consisted of 175 runners scored.
North Carolina took home the team title followed by Queens, Duke, Appalachian State, Clemson and High Point. Elon bested SoCon foes Davidson (10th), UNC Greensboro (11th), Western Carolina (14th), College of Charleston (20th) and Wofford (26th).
On November 1, the Phoenix will participate in the 2008 SoCon Championships held in Spartanburg, S.C.
BOONE, N.C. -- Emily Fournier placed fifth in a field of 168 scored runners at the Blue Ridge Open, finishing the course in a personal best time of 18:28 to lead the Elon Phoenix to a seventh place finish at the meet on Friday afternoon. The field consisted of 26 teams and the Phoenix outdid four of its six SoCon rivals.
Allyson Costa's time of 19:24 was the next best time for Elon and placed Costa 43rd in the field. Just behind her in 49th place was Caitlin Beeler who crossed the line in a time of 19:31.
In 54th place with a time of 19:37 was Melanie Reyer while Catherine Rossi's time of 19:46 put her 67th.
Rounding out Elon's field of runners was Alissa Wilke (99th; 20:10) and Courtney Whalen (110th; 20:24).
Clemson claimed the team title. High Point, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Davidson and UNC Wilmington finished just ahead of the Phoenix. Elon placed ahead of SoCon brethren Western Carolina (9th), College of Charleston (10th), UNC Greensboro (13th) and Wofford (26th).
Elon will run next at the SoCon Championships in Spartanburg, S.C. on Nov. 1.
UNC Greensboro men finish 11th, women 13th at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, NC ? Sherika Jordan set a personal record with a 5K time of 18:54 to finish 19th and lead UNC Greensboro at the Blue Ridge Open Cross Country Meet Friday afternoon.
Four races were held as a part of the meet, two men’s and two women’s. The Spartans finished 11th in the men’s gold race and fifth in the men’s open race. UNCG’s women’s team placed 13th in the women’s gold race and did not participate in the team scoring of the open race.
Anthony Savoia and Josh Wyatt led the way in the men’s gold race, finishing 71st and 73rd respectively in the race that featured 210 runners. Jordan trimmed 10 seconds off of her personal record time set two weeks ago in recording her Top 20 finish.
Lincoln Bennett also ran a personal record with his time of 27:42 in the open race. He finished 23rd.
AGATE
Men's Gold Team Scores: North Carolina 43, Queens 53, Duke 62, Appalachian State 119, Clemson 164, High Point 172, Elon 243, VMI 257, Campbell 270, Davidson 276, UNCG 288, Mars Hill 399, Milligan 400, Western Carolina 434, UNC Wilmington 444, Coastal Carolina 471, Lees McRae 506, Longwood 525, Miami 533, Charleston 552, UNC Asheville 567, ROanoke 613, USC Upstate 651, Lenoir Rhyne 682, Gardner-Webb 707, Wofford 734.
UNCG finishers Men's Gold: 71. Anthony Savoia 26:28, 73. Josh Wyatt 26:30; 83. Xavier Rutz 26:43; 84. Andy Clyne 26:44; 102. T.J. Wyatt 27:00; 109. Jermaine Coore 27:13; 163. Cory Bowen 28:13.
Men's Open Team Scores: Duke 15, Appalachian State 42, UNC Club 92, Elon 100, UNCG 128, Virginia Wise 161, Carson Newman 183, Mars Hill 189, Milligan 192.
UNCG finishers - Men's Open: 18. Bobby Belcher 27:30; 23. Lincoln Bennett 27:42; 41. Justin Ruppe 28:34; 59. Brian Carrington 29:12; 62. Ryan Solomon 29:19; 65. Taylor Hurst 29:35; 94. Pat O'Connor 34:07.
Women's Gold Team Scores: Clemson 74, High Point 83, Coastal Carolina 111, Appalachian State 127, Davidson 173, UNC Wilmington 212, Elon 218, Milligan 228, Western Carolina 229, Charleston 322, Radford 327, USC Upstate 377, UNCG 393, Campbell 407, VMI 420, Lees McRae 438, Miami 449, Charlotte 459, Longwood 548, Queens 566, Gardner-Webb 575, East Tennessee State 576, UNC Asheville 579, Roanoke 606, Wofford 720,
UNCG Finishers - Women's Gold: 19. Sherrika Jordan 18:54; 86. Tiffany Garber 19:52; 94. Mary Rutz 19:58; 108. Jenna Paley 20:08; 137. Jade Farlow 20:31; 147. Kerry Hartman 20:50; 174. Chelsea Willette 21:47.
Women’s Open Team Scores: Clemson 25, Elon 73, UNC Wilmington 75, High Point 103, Davidson 128, Milligan 130, Virginia Wise 157, UNCG no team score.
UNCG Finishers - Women's Open: 13. Michelle Chewens 20:36; 32. Latresse Bristol 21:43; 63. Danielle Merriman 24:43.
Western Carolina women finish ninth, men 14th at Blue Ridge Open
Boone, N.C. - Western Carolina women's cross country finished ninth out of 26 teams while the men were 14th out of 26 at the Blue Ridge Open Friday night.
Senior Megan Isaacs took individual honors by finishing in 15th place out of 194 runners with a time of 18:47. Senior Leah Nicholson finished next in 43rd place with a time of 19:19 followed by fellow senior Skye Aiello next in 63rd place with a time of 19:37.
Freshman Josey Weaver paced the men's team with a 65th place finish out of 210 runners with a time of 26:16. Junior Stephen Hammond finished next after Weaver with a 77th place finish with a time of 26:33 followed by senior Field Miller coming in 127th with a time of 27:27.
North Carolina won the team honors for the men's division finishing with 43 points thanks to all five of their runners finishing in the top 15. Appalachian State finished in fourth place with 119 points claiming the Old Mountain Jug thanks to a 14th place finish for Western Carolina men's team.
Clemson won the team honors for the women's division finishing with 74 points with three runners in the top 15. Western Carolina women's team finished in ninth place but Appalachian State finished in fourth to claim the Old Mountain Jug.
Western Carolina hopes to build on the success from these races when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to participate in the Southern Conference Championships on Nov. 1st.
Select Wofford runners compete at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C.- The Wofford Men’s cross country team ran its final race of the regular season on Friday in Boone, N.C. competing in the Blue Ridge Open hosted by SoCon foe Appalachian State.
Wofford had five runners compete in the 8k gold race, while remaining team members participated in the open race. In the gold race, Josh Shumaker continued to be consistent for the Terriers with a time of 27:26 placing him in the 126th spot. Bryan Brooks was next in with a time of 28:24 to finish in the 173rd spot.
Justin Hunter finished ten spots back from teammate Brooks in the 183rd position with a season best time of 28:45. Mavrick Harris was the fourth runner in for the Terriers in the 193 spot with a time of 29:06. Rounding out the Terrier runners in the gold race was Josh Riley with a time of 31:26 putting him in the 206th position. Having five runners compete in the race qualified Wofford for team scoring in which the team placed 27th.
Wofford also had three members participate in the open race as individuals. Tommy Weber was the first Terrier across the line with a time of 29:52 placing him 69th. Paul Vecchione was close behind Weber finishing in the 72nd spot with a time of 30:09. Chris Allen was the final Terrier in with a time of 32:29 putting him in the 97th spot.
Wofford will return to action November 1 as they host the Southern Conference Championship at Milliken Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
Wofford Individuals (Gold Race)
126 Josh Shumaker-27:26
173 Bryan Brooks-28:24
183 Justin Hunter-28:45
193 Mavrick Harris-29:06
206 Josh Riley-31:26
Wofford Individuals (Open Race)
69 Tommy Weber-29:52
72 Paul Vecchione-30:09
97 Chris Allen-32:29
Top Five Team Overall (Gold Race)
1 North Carolina
2 Queens University
3 Duke
4 Appalachian State
5 Clemson
BOONE, N.C.- The Wofford women’s cross country team wrapped up its regular season on Friday in Boone, N.C. participating in the Blue Ridge Open hosted by SoCon member Appalachian State. The Terriers had members compete in both the gold race and the open race.
Laura Trent was the first Terrier to cross the finish line with a time of 20:59 placing her 150th.
Closely behind Trent was Kerri Harris who set a new lifetime personal best by eight seconds finishing with a time of 21:03 putting her in the 151st spot. The third Terrier in was Pearce Tapp who had a season best time of 21:20 resulting in a 162nd place finish.
Freshman Caroline Burdette was the next Terrier across the line in the 180th spot with a time of 22:06. Justina Oliva was the final Terrier in with a time of 22:20 putting her in the 183rd position.
Wofford finished with 720 team points, putting them in 26th place in the team standings.
In the open race, Cindy Hernandez paced Wofford with a 41st place finish with a time of 22:19. Jessie Sahms was the next and final terrier across the line with a time of 23:05 putting her in the 53rd spot.
Wofford will be back in action on November 1 at Milliken Park in Spartanburg, S.C. as they host the Southern Conference Championship.
Wofford Individuals (Gold Race)
150 Laura Trent- 20:59
151 Kerri Harris-21:03
162 Pearce Tapp-21:20
180 Caroline Burdette-22:06
183 Justina Oliva-22:20
Wofford Individuals (Open Race)
41 Cindy Hernandez-22:19
53 Jessie Sahms-23:05
Top Five Team Results (Gold Race)
1 Clemson
2 High Point
3 Coastal Carolina
4 Appalachian State
5 Davidson
The Citadel men finish third, women fourth at Winthrop Asics Classic
Rock Hill, S.C. ? Brendan Kight led The Citadel men for the fifth consecutive week while Sarah Strickland paced the women as The Citadel cross country teams competed at the 2008 Winthrop Asics Classic in Rock Hill. The men’s team finished third while the women finished fourth.
Kight, a junior from Sumter, ran 20:29 in the 6k race as he finished 19th overall. Kight has been the top finisher for the Bulldogs in every meet this season. Sophomore Chris Fallis followed Kight with a 24th place finish, running 20:40 while sophomore Zach Yereb placed 26th with a time of 20:48. Finishing seconds behind Yereb, sophomore Nathan Jackson ran 20:54 to finish 28th. Freshman Chris Morgan rounded out the Bulldog top five with a time of 21:25 and a 32nd place finish.
The women’s team struggled without top runner Katheryn Gatewood, who had led the team in every meet this season. Senior Sarah Strickland led the Bulldogs with a time of 16:02 in the 4k race, placing 14th. Redshirt junior Megan Jenkins finished 22nd with a time of 16:29 while junior Natalie Wolin ran 16:43 to finish 27th.
The Winthrop Asics Classic was the final meet before the Bulldogs head to the 2008 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1 in Spartanburg, S.C. The league title meet will begin at 10 a.m. and is hosted by Wofford College.
For complete coverage of Bulldog Cross Country, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
Furman men and women win Winthrop Asics Classic
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Furman cross country teams swept both the men's and women's Winthrop Invitational titles on Saturday.
The men finished first in an eight-team field with 19 total points. Senior Patrick Morgan led the Paladins, clocking in at 18:41 in the 6K race. A total of seven Paladins finished in the top 15, including senior Alex Palsencia, sophomore Charles McGoogan, and freshman Zach Flickinger, who all finished in the top ten.
The women also finished first out of six teams, with 18 total team points. Junior Megan Lordi led the Paladins with a time of 14:21 for the 4K course. The Paladins claimed the top three finishers, with senior Lauren Tomory coming in second in 14:57 and freshman Chloe Kowalski taking the third spot with a time of 15:12. A total of 10 Paladins finished in the top 15 for the women.
The cross country teams will compete again on Saturday, November 1 at the Southern Conference championships in Spartanburg, S.C.
Georgia Southern women finish fourth at Front Runner Invitational
Chattanooga, Tenn. ? The Georgia Southern Cross Country team finished in 4th place at the Front Runner Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Moccasin Bend Race Course.
Shauntel Jennings (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was the first to cross the finish line for the Lady Eagles doing so with a time of 12:31. She placed 20th overall in the meet.
ZamZam Sangau from Middle Tennessee State won the 2k event with a mark of 11:07.
Kassi Lee (Elberton, Ga.) placed 22nd with a time of 12:44.
Laura Fuller (Cartersville, Ga.) finished three seconds behind Lee with a time of 12:47.
London Ryles (Decatur, Ga.) crossed the line behind Fuller with a mark of 12:54. She finished in 25th place.
Azura Robillard (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) came in 28th place with a time of 13:14.
Brittani Martin (Alpharetta, Ga.) crossed the line with a mark of 13:32.
Leah Bradley (McDonough, Ga.) and Melissa Royer (Cumming, Ga.) rounded out the Lady Eagles day finishing in 36th and 41st place respectively.
The Lady Eagles return to action at the SoCon Championships November the 18th in Spartanburg, S.C. at 9:00 a.m.
Chattanooga women place first, men third at Front Runner Invitational
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga women claimed the top spot in the Front Runner Invitational on a bright, cool afternoon at the Moccasin Bend Race Course while the men finished third.
Senior Sabrina Lefort, finishing third, bettered her time from the PowerAde Invitational run on the same course earlier this season by 17 seconds and paced the Lady Mocs to the top place finished. Just one second behind her in fourth was sophomore Tara Gietema at 11:22.
Senior Katie Williams was the third Chattanooga runner across the line in fifth place at 11:41 and Emily Wood placed eighth in a time of 11:46. Jordyn Radke, Meredith White and Lauren Anderson all finished in the top 15 for Chattanooga as the Lady Mocs finished with a score of 31.
Middle Tennessee’s Zamzam Sangau won top honors at the race finishing first in a time of 11:07 followed by Kennesaw State’s Mackenzie Howe in second at 11:11. The Owls were second with a team score of 62 while the Blue Raiders were third with 69 points. Gerogia Southern finished fourth followed by Sewanee and Tennessee State.
Running unattached for the Lady Mocs were Anneli Uys who placed sixth overall with a time of 11:34 and Shelley Taylor was 15th overall finishing the course in a time of 12:08.
In the men’s race, Emmanuel Kirwa finished first in the scoring but was second overall to Chris Berry who ran the race unattached.
“Had Chris run for us today, the men would have finished first,” Chattanooga Head Coach Bill Gautier said. “We expect him to be available for us at the Southern Conference Championships.”
The Mocs placed third behind Middle Tennessee who had 43 team points and Emory’s 45. The Mocs had four scoring runners in the top 15 and finished with 53 points.
Berry ran the 5-kilometer race in a time of 15:09 just ahead of Kirwa’s 15:12. David Moore was finished in ninth place with a time of 15:39 while Joshue Vasquez (15:54) and Matt Baltimore (15:57) placed 12th and 13th respectively. Kevin Huwe, in 18th place, was the fifth scoring finisher for the Mocs at 16:08.
The Mocs will take a short break to prepare for the Southern Conference Championships hosted by Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., Nov. 1 at Milliken Park. The women’s 5-kilometer race will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the men’s 8K race will follow at 10:45.
The Lady Mocs are looking to claim a third consecutive title and seventh overall while the men will try to return to the top of the league after a three-year hiatus.