SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Sophomore Joey Thompson of UNC Greensboro has been named the Southern Conference Men's Runner of the Week for his performance at the Lou Onesty Invitational Saturday, the league office announced today.

Thompson, a business major from Columbia, Md., placed seventh at the Lou Onesty Invitational, his first race of the season. His time of 25:23 is a new personal best, beating his previous time by 17 seconds and putting him in fourth place on UNCG's all-time list. The Spartans finished third at the Lou Onesty Invitational, ahead of George Mason, who is ranked No. 14 in the region.

UNCG returns to action October 2 at the Charlotte Invitational.

Other top performers this week included:

Davidson's Lance Harden, a senior philosophy major from Apex, N.C., finished second overall at the Winthrop/Asics Invitational, only three seconds behind the first-place finisher. The Wildcats took the team title. His time of 25:00 for the 8K course is the third fastest time in Davidson history.

Appalachian State's Phil Mitchell, a senior history major from Glastonbury, Conn., placed third out of 126 runners at the Mountaineer Open Saturday. The Mountaineers finished third behind Ohio State, a Top 25 team, and Queens University, who is currently ranked No. 7 in Division II. Mitchell's time of 19:59 is a new ASU record for the Donnie Kennedy Trails course.

Southern Conference Men's Runner of the Week

Week 1: Lance Harden, Davidson
Week 2: Charles McGoogan, Furman
Week 3: Joey Thompson, UNC Greensboro