Chattanooga men finish 11th, women 13th at NCAA South Regionals
MARYVILLE, Tenn. --- Sophomore transfer Emmanuel Kirwa led the Mocs to an 11th place finish at the NCAA South Region Cross Country meet on a cold, wet Saturday morning at the Lambert Acres Golf Course in Maryville, Tenn.
Kirwa, the Southern Conference Runner of the Year, finished 16th overall in the 10-kilometer race in a time of 32:00.07 with an average mile time of 5:09.00. Sophomore Chris Berry finished 45th overall out of 147 runners in a time of 33:21.92.
With temperatures dropping from the 50’s down into the 40’s with wind gusts of up to 27 miles per hour, the runners face tough challenges that also included a wet, slick course. Sophmore David Moore ran the course in a time of 34:00.02 followed by freshman Matt Baltimore with a time of 34:16.48. Rounding out the scoring for the Mocs was junior Kevin Huwe followed by Andy Highlander.
Auburn swept the top three spots led by junior Felix Kibioywo at 30:45.91. However, that would not be enough as the Tigers were outpaced by instate rival Alabama by 10 points.
In the women’s race, sophomore Tara Gietema was 56th overall out of 156 runners finishing the 6-kilometer race in a time of 22:54.74 and leading UTC in a 13th place team finish.
Senior Emily Wood was 64th overall at 23:05.23. Senior Sabrina Lefort was the Lady Mocs third runner across the finish line in a time of 23:11.65 followed two places behind by senior Katie Williams at 23:12.99.
Rounding out the scoring for UTC was sophomore Jordyn Radke at 23:59.40. Chattanooga’s final runner across the line was freshman Meredith Wright running in her first-ever NCAA Region race.
Auburn’s Hollie Knight claimed the honors in the women’s race running the course in a time of 20:29.67, more than 20 seconds ahead of Tennessee senior Sarah Bowman. Florida State placed its top two runners at three and four and claimed the region title ahead of instate foe Florida by a 23-point margin.
The top two teams and top four individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the NCAA National Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., set for Nov. 24.
Samford women finish 12th, men top 15 at NCAA South Regional
MARYVILLE, Tenn. --- The Samford University men’s and women’s cross country teams wrapped up the season Saturday morning as they ran in the NCAA South Regional Championship in Maryville, Tenn. The women who went into the meet, ranked 13th in the South Region, finished 12th in the 6K race, while the men who were not ranked at all, finished in the top 15 in the 10K race.
“The girls were ranked 13th coming in and we finished 12th,” Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. “We beat UTC which was good to see. Hillary Neal did another great job for us today jumping out there and leading our girls. The guys worked hard and we weren’t ranked coming in, so to finish in the top 15 was a good thing for us. Cameron Bean also did another great job for us, getting up there and getting in the middle of the competition.
Neal led the Samford women as she came in 45th overall with a time of 22:29.18 while Bean placed 40th overall, leading the Samford men while a time of 33:09.95.
SoCon Freshman of the Year Andrea Seccafien joined Neal in the top 50 as she placed 49th, running the course in 22:41.11. Fellow freshmen Deanna Zidar (23:24.44) and Cori Christensen (23:38.62) took 81st and 89th, respectively. Senior Katie Almand (23:51.57) and junior Jessica Van Ausdall (23:54.69) finished one after the other in 100th and 101st, respectively. Rounding out the women’s field was freshman Brittney Harrison at 123rd (24:26.36).
Senior Bo Brawner finished second for the Bulldog men at 89th overall, running a time out 34:35.55. Junior Blaise Carie (35:18.46) and sophomore Scott Cope (35:33.42) were next at 103rd and 110th, respectively and Chas Keithan (35:55.12), Michael Schwartz (36:24.25) and Patrick Ollinger (36:28.57) rounded out the Bulldog pack at 118th, 126th, and 128th, respectively.
“We didn’t have the best day today but they really went out there and fought hard,” Tiffin said. “We concentrated so much on the conference meet and doing so well there, I think we peaked a couple of weeks ago. Now we have to change hats to track and start getting focused on our success there.”
The Bulldogs will start the indoor track and field season on Jan. 31, at the Tennessee State Invitational.
Furman women finish 13th, men 20th at NCAA Southeast Regionals
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? The Furman men's and women's cross country teams both had strong showings at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, hosted by Wake Forest University on Saturday, November 15.
Leading all Paladin runners was junior Megan Lordi, who completed the 6K run in a time of 21:28.30 to finish 13th in the women's race.
Also helping the women was senior Lauren Tomory, who finished 47th with a time of 22:13.40. The Paladin women finished 14th out of 33 teams, finishing ahead of Southern Conference rivals Davidson, Appalachian State, Western Carolina, Elon, UNC Greensboro and College of Charleston as well as SEC foe South Carolina.
On the men's side, senior Patrick Morgan paced the team with a time of 32:56.20 in the men's 10K race to finish 81st. Furman finished 20th out of 29 teams at the Regional competition.
Appalachian State men finish 15th, women 22nd at NCAA Southeast Regionals
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's cross country finished 15th out of 29 teams Saturday morning at the 2008 NCAA Southeast Regionals. William and Mary won the team title, while Virginia took home second. Both teams advance to the NCAA National Championships Monday November 24 in Terre Haute, Ind. North Carolina State, Duke and Liberty rounded out the top five. The Mountaineers had the best finish out of all other Southern Conference schools.
Senior Asmeron Desta had a solid performance in his final showing in the Black and Gold as the Old Fort, N.C. had the best finish for Appalachian, placing 22nd with a time of 31:14.5, just a half second off his personal best. Ryan O'Keefe and Mike Walker had the next best finishes for the Mountaineers, while Josh Houser was also a strong contributor for ASU.
Desta's finish earned him all-Region honors, making him the first Mountaineer since 2005 to be named to the all-Region squad. This was the first time since 1989 that a man and woman earned all-Region accolades in the same year, as Meghan Gaffney was also named to the all-Region team.
The Mountaineers had another impressive season in 2008, winning their fourth consecutive SoCon crown. The squad graduates two seniors in Desta and O'Keefe.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- Appalachian State University women's cross country had a solid showing Saturday morning, as the Apps took home a 22nd place finish out of 33 teams. Virginia captured the 2008 team title with 105 points, while Kentucky finished second and North Carolina, Duke and William and Mary rounded out the top five.
Furman had the best team finish at 14th for Southern Conference schools, while Davidson notched a 20th place finish.
Senior Meghan Gaffney finished her senior season in style, as the Pompton Lakes, N.J. native placed 19th overall out of 231 runners with a time of 21:33. Gaffney had the best finish for the Mountaineers. The next best finisher for the Apps was Ashley Norris.
Stephanie Chapman and Hannah Parks were also solid contributors for ASU.
Gaffney's performance earned her all-Region honors for the second time in her career.
Appalachian graduates two seniors in Gaffney and Parks.
College of Charleston runners compete at NCAA Southeast Regional
CLEMMONS, N.C. ? The College of Charleston cross country team’s took part in the NCAA Southeast Regional meet held at Tanglewood State Park in Clemmons, N.C. on Saturday. The event was hosted by Wake Forest University.
On the men’s side, three Cougar runners participated in the race run on the 10K course. Trevor Sprague was the highest finisher for Charleston, as he placed 154th in a time of 34:37.
On the women’s side, the Cougars ran as a team and finished 31st. Erin Stoddard was the high finisher for the Cougars on the day, as she ran the 6K course in 23:15 to finish 116th. Other top finishers for the Cougars included Kristen Wolfe, who placed 179th in a time of 24:19 and Callen Powers, who finished 186th in a time of 24:26.
The Citadel men finish 29th at NCAA Southeast Regional
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Junior Brendan Kight led The Citadel for the seventh meet of the season as the Bulldogs finished 29th at the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships Saturday afternoon. Running the first 10k in his career, Kight ran 35:04 to pace the Bulldogs.
The Citadel finished 29th as the Bulldog men’s team advanced to the NCAA Regional Championships for the first time since 2005. Kight’s finish of 164th paved the way for The Citadel.
Sophomore Zach Yereb followed Kight with a time of 35:34, placing 177th. Freshman PJ Wasilchak ran 36:57 to finish 198th overall while sophomore Chris Fallis ran 37:32 to finish 203rd. Freshman Chris Morgan ran 38:46 to round out the team, placing 211th.
The NCAA Regional meet concludes the season for the Bulldogs Cross Country programs.
Davidson women finish 25th at NCAA Southeast Regionals
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Senior Caroline Sanker finished 25th and earned All-Regional honors as the Davidson women's cross country team wrapped up its season at the NCAA Southeastern Cross Country Regionals held Saturday at Wake Forest University.
Sanker paced the Wildcats and finished 25th with a time of 21:44.90 to earn regional honors for a second consecutive season.
"I am so proud of Caroline." head coach Jen Straub said. "She has worked so hard this season and been such a great contributor for us over her career. To earn All-Regional honors for a second straight season is a tremendous accomplishment that she should be extremely proud of. I know I am."
Sophomore Danielle Ruggieri finished 101st overall with a time of 23:05, and classmate Lauren Childs was 111th with a time of 23:12.10.
Sophomore Heather Conarroe (118th, 23:17.30) and freshman Jane Gay (148th, 23:46) also factored into the scoring for the Wildcats.
Elon men finish 19th, women 52nd at NCAA Southeast Regionals
TANGLEWOOD, N.C. ? Emily Fournier was Elon’s top-finished at the 2008 NCAA Women’s Cross Country Regionals with a 52nd-place finish and a time of 22:17. As a team, Elon finished 27th with 694 points.
Alyson Costa came in with a time of 23:28 for a 136th-place finish, with Caitlin Beeler clocking a 22:46 to finish 150th.
Alissa Wilke ran a 24:17 en route to a 177th-place finish, while Colleen McCarthy ran a 24:38 for 191st.
Catherine Rossi and Melanie Reyer finished in 24:46 and 25:21 for 195th and 215th, respectively.
TANGLEWOOD, N.C. ? The Elon’s men’s cross country team finished 19th, its highest finish ever and 15 places better than last year, at the NCAA Regional meet Saturday afternoon in Tanglewood, N.C. The team bested SoCon rivals UNC Greensboro, Furman and Davidson, all of which finished ahead of Elon at the SoCon meet two weeks ago. Appalachian State, the SoCon champion, was the only team that finished ahead of the Phoenix.
“I am really proud of the way our team was able to execute after running a sub-par performance at the conference championship,” head coach Christine Engel said. “We were able to run a better that allowed us to finish higher than Elon has ever finished and come back to beat three teams that out ran us at the conference championship. As a team, we are in a good position to get to where we want this program to be.”
Leading the way for Elon was Eric Lewandowski, who finished in 33:04 for an 87th-place finish. Matt Richardson notched Elon’s other top-100 finish, crossing the line in 33:12 for 98th.
Will Schefer finished 113th, clocking a 33:31, while Justin Gianni came in just behind Schefer at 115th in 33:39.
Jason MacCollum and Rick Myers finished 146th and 150th , running times of 34:24 and 32:32, respectively.
Rounding out the Elon runners was Conon O’Brien who finished in 35:28.
Wofford runners compete at NCAA Southeast Regional
CLEMMONS, N.C.- The Wofford men's and women's cross country teams wrapped up its season on Saturday as they competed in the NCAA Southeast regional at Tanglewood State Park in Clemmons, N.C.
On the men's side, Wofford was represented by Josh Shumaker, Mavrick Harris and Tommy Weber. Shumaker, a senior running the last race of his career, went out hard early trying to break the School record. Shumaker ran the challenging 10k (6.1miles) race in 35:20, good enough for the 170th spot. Although he was unsuccessful breaking the school record coach Bryan Jackson was pleased with his effort. Jackson stated "Josh ran a real gutsy race today and has run like that all year. He has been our most consistent runner for the entire season and looking over his four year career, he has been one of the most consistent runners in Wofford history."
Shumaker was joined at the finish line by fellow teammates Harris and Weber. Harris completed the course in 37:48 placing him in the 207th spot while Weber, a senior also running the last race of his career, finished with a time of 39:31 putting him in the 212th position.
The women were represented by Pearce Tapp and Caroline Burdette. Tapp finished the 6K (3.75 miles) course with a time of 27:01, good enough for the 228th position. Burdette was able to finish the meet with a time of 27:26 placing her 230th.
UNC Greensboro men finish 22nd, women 30th at NCAA Southeast Regional
CLEMMONS, NC ? UNC Greensboro sophomore Sherrika Jordan ran another great race for the Spartans at Saturday’s NCAA Cross Country Regional hosted by Wake Forest at Tanglewood State Park.
The Spartan men’s program finished in 22nd place on the day, while the women wrapped up their season with a 30th place finish. No. 17 William and Mary upset No. 13 Virginia to claim victory on the men’s side and the Cavaliers from Virginia won the women’s portion of the meet. Samuel Chelanga from Libery won the men’s individual championship and Tasmin Fanning from Virginia Tech took the crown for the women.
Jordan, coming off her career-best finish at the SoCon Championship, crossed the finish line with a time of 22:31.1 to lead the women’s team. Tiffany Garber and Jenna Paley finished in second and third respectively for UNC Greensboro.
Freshman Jermaine Coore led the way for the men’s team today. The native of Somerset, NJ crossed the line with a time of 33:19.0 in the sloppy conditions and redshirt senior Josh Wyatt finished in second for the Spartans.
The two squads will now continue to train as they prepare for the upcoming indoor track & field season.