Western Carolina men and women first in WCU Open
Cullowhee, N.C. - The 2008 men's and women's cross country teams both opened up their seasons with victories in the Western Carolina Open Friday Evening. Junior Lindsey Groce and Junior Stephen Hammond both took first place honors in their respective divisions.
After the two-mile run through the on-campus course, the WCU women's cross country team swept the top four places with Groce placing first.
"I wanted to see how close we could finish as a group and we got four together so I was very proud of their efforts, said head coach Danny Williamson."
Groce led the Catamounts with an 11:56.96 final time followed by sophomore Jordan Gaddy (11:59.43), then in third senior Megan Isaacs (12:06.67), followed by junior Danielle Shaurette (12:29.32).
The Catamounts finished in first place (18 Points), follwed by Gardner-Webb (52), UNC Asheville (82), King College (95), Newberry College (150) and Warren Wilson College (162).
The men's team was in a tight battle until the end, just edging out rival UNC Asheville with a score of 34-37. Junior Stephen Hammond led the way with a first place finish time of 15:50.90 with freshman Josey Weaver right behind him in second with a time of 16:21.43. Sophomore Drew Tucker (16:48.92) came in with a solid eighth place finish with junior Jake Clawson (16:57.07) finishing in 12th to round out the top four for the Catamounts. Western was without one of its leaders, sophomore Stephen Roach, who had come down with the flu and was not able to participate.
"I just wanted a chance to win the race and we did what we needed to do," said Williamson. "We knew we were going to be a man down after Stephen (Roach) couldn't race so the team stepped it up and a win is a win."
The men's team finished with 34 points in first, followed by UNC Asheville (37), then King College (64), Gardner Webb (101), Newberry College (138) and Warren Wilson College (149).
Western returns to action in three weeks, hosting for consecutive weeks with the Catamount Classic on Saturday Sept. 20 in Cullowhee.
Appalachian State women second at Covered Bridge Open
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian women's cross country began their 2008 campaign on a promising note, as the Mountaineers finished second in the Covered Bridge Open. ACC power-house Florida State took home the team title, by scoring 15 points, while Appalachian placed second with 74 points.
University of Queens-Charlotte was right on Appalachian's heels as it took the third place spot with 75 points, while Clemson and Winthrop notched the fourth and fifth place positions. USC Upstate, North Florida, Lees-McRae, Mars Hill, Spartanburg and Valdosta State rounded out the team scoring, finishing in the sixth through 11th place spots.
Leading the way for the Apps was senior standout Meghan Gaffney. Gaffney finished seventh overall with a time of 19:00. Not too far off of Gaffney was sophomore Charlotte Walsh. Walsh placed 13th with a time of 19:25. Hannah Parks capped off the top-20 finishes for ASU, as she finished 17th, with a time of 19:48.
The Mountaineers continue with their 2008 campaign, as they head to Rock Hill, S.C. on September 20 to compete at the Winthrop Invitational.
Appalachian State men third at Covered Bridge Open
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State men's cross country started the 2008 season on a solid note as the Mountaineers garnered a third place finish at the Covered Bridge Open. Flordia State took home the team title, as the Seminoles edged out University of Queens Charlotte for first place, scoring 34 points, while Queen Charlotte had 36.
ASU earned 62 points, good enough for third, while Clemson came in fourth with 95 points. North Florida and Charlotte placed fifth and sixth, respectively, while Mars Hill, Winthrop, Lees-McRae, Spartanburg Methodist and USC Upstate all notched the seventh through 11th place spots.
Junior Josh Houser was impressive for the Apps, as he finished ninth overall with a time of 26:20. Mike Walker was on Houser's heels as he came in tenth with a time of 26:27. Asmeron Desta and Sean Soderman capped off the top-20 finishes for Appalachian, as Desta finished 14th with a time of 26:33 and Soderman placed 17th with a time of 26:43.
Oscar Oqwaro of Queens Charlotte won the meet, finishing the race in a time of 25:47.
The Mountaineers return to action September 20 as they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to compete at the highly competitive Winthrop Invitational.
Elon men and women third at Wake Forest Relays
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. ? The Elon University men’s and women’s cross country teams opened the 2008 season at the Wake Forest Relays in Winston Salem, N.C. The women’s team finished with 36 points for a third-place finish, while the men earned 41 points, also for a third-place finish.
The duo of Caitlin Beeler and Emily Fournier notched the only top-10 finish for the Phoenix, finishing ninth with a time of 38:47. Alissa Wilke and Catherine Rossi took 13th with a time of 39:34, while Katie White and Laura Fredrickson finished 14th out of 30 teams, running a 39:54.
Coming in 17th was the pair of Courtney Whalen and Colleen McCarthy who combined for a time of 40:47. Jessica Doan and Melanie Reyer finished 19th with a 41:48. The combination of Katie O’Dunne and Sarah McKenna clocked a 43:13 for a 21st-place finish, while Ellen Boyle and Madison Russo rounded out the Phoenix runners with a 23rd-place finish with a time of 43:56.
The pair of Matt Richardson and Eric Lewandowski led the way for the men’s team, finishing 12th out of 22 teams with a time of 48:33. Justin Gianni and Jason MacCollum followed the two in 14th with a time of 48:33. Rick Meyer and William Schefer finished in 15th-place with a time of 49:04.
Elon took the 17th and 18th spots of the relays. Andrew Hawkey and Clay Sankey ran a 50:53 for 17th, followed closely by Nick Domise and Taylor Zorski with a time of 51:15. Rounding out the men’s team finished was the duo of Justin Veldhuis and David Wells who finished 22nd with a time of 55:11.
The teams will be back in action Friday, Sept. 6 when they travel to Spartanburg, N.C. for the Eye Opener Invitational.
Georgia Southern women fourth at Gamecock Invitational
FT. JACKSON, S.C. ? The Georgia Southern cross country team opened the season with a fourth place finish in the Gamecock Invitational Friday night.
Sophomore Kassi Lee (Elberton, Ga.) led the way for the Eagles placing 16th, with a time of 20:13.70 in the 5K. Following her was junior Laura Fuller (Cartersville, Ga.) with a time of 21:15.00, which put her in the 24th position. Among other Eagles with strong showings were freshmen Azura Robillard (Apopka, Fla.) and Brittani Martin (Alpharetta, Ga.) with times of 21:11.22 and 22:26.00 respectively. Senior Shauntel Jennings (Stone Mountain, Ga.) finished right on their heels with a time of 22:38.24.
As a team the Eagles placed fourth out of the field of seven, with the host South Carolina claiming the victory.
The Eagle’s next event is the USC Upstate Meet in Spartanburg, S.C., on Sept. 6.