Appalachian State's Men's Cross Country Wins Home Meet
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's cross country had a very strong showing in the Blue Ridge Open, as the Mountaineers won the meet despite windy conditions.
Appalachian out ran the field as it took home the Blue Ridge Open crown with a point total of 59 points. The Black and Gold edged out Southeast Region foe High Point by four points. This week's USATFF rankings had High Point ranked 13th and App setting in 15th place.
Sean Soderman was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line as he placed ninth in a time of 25:08.8. Sophomore Will Raby closely followed Soderman as he finished 10th in a time of 25:10.3.
ASU had four runners place in the top 20, which was more than any other team at the meet.
Brandon Hudgins and Alex Taylor were the next to Appalachian runners to finish, with both of them posting career-best times. Hudgins was 17th in a time of 25:20.4, and Taylor ran a time of 25:21.7 to earn 20th.
The Black and Gold's win at the Blue Ridge Open marks its second meet victory of the season, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2007 season.
The Blue Ridge Open is the last meet App will compete in until the SoCon Championships on October 30, which will be held in Boone at State Farm Fields.
Appalachian State's Women's Cross Country Finish Fifth at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's cross country battled its way through the windy conditions to place fifth out of 18 teams at the Blue Ridge Open.
Brittney Caudle led the charge for the Mountaineers in its fifth place finish. The defending SoCon Champion pushed through the chilly conditions to place 17th with a time of 18:18.9.
Junior Hannah Orders was the next Appalachian to burst across the finish line, as she placed 36th. Orders also posted a career-best time of 18:38.4 in her effort. Fellow App, Dani Reese also posted a personal best with a time of 18:51.0, which was good enough for 46th, respectively.
Duke ended up winning the meet with a point total of 23. The Blue Devils ran away with the crown by having four runners place in the top five overall. Virginia Tech placed second with 63 points.
The Blue Ridge Open was the last meet that the Black and Gold will compete in before the SoCon Championships on October 30, which will be held in Boone at State Farm Fields.
McGoogan Leads Furman Cross Country Team with Ninth Place Finish
BOONE, N.C. - Senior Charlie McGoogan placed ninth among collegiate scorers with a time of 25:16.6 on the 8K course to lead the Furman cross country teams at the Blue Ridge Open Friday afternoon at State Farm Fields in Boone, N.C. The Furman men's team placed seventh out of 18 teams with 188 points, while the Paladin women's team finished eighth out of 18 teams with 241 points.
Junior Lee Gilmer finished 28th with a time of 25:47.9, while junior Chris Caldwell took 30th place after recording a time of 25:49.8. Junior Jay Miller placed 63rd with a time of 26:39.8, and freshman Tyler Greathouse was 66th with a time of 26:41.2. Freshman Jack Klecker finished 78th with a time of 26:58.0, while rookie James Perez rounded out the Furman finishers with a 116th-place finish and a time of 28:07.6.
Junior Brooke Mosteller led the Furman women's team, placing 22nd among collegiate athletes with a time of 18:30.9 on the 5K course. Senior Jenna Callahan finished 28th with a time of 18:39.4, and freshman Julia Means placed 52nd with a time of 19:06.0. Junior Erin Barker took 74th with a time of 19:22.4, while junior Becca Shelton and freshman Catherine Burton finished back-to-back in 84th and 85th place with times of 19:31.8 and 19:32.3, respectively. Junior Charlee Coggins finished 93rd with a time of 19:37.8.
Furman will compete at the Southern Conference Championship in Boone, N.C. on Oct. 30.
Cougars Compete at Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. - Freshman Dena O'Brien placed 13th individual (18:08 for 5k) and the College of Charleston men's and women's cross country teams each placed 12th Friday at the Blue Ridge Open.
The meet, hosted by Appalachian State served as a preview for the Southern Conference Championships, which will be held in Boone on Oct. 30.
The men's team was led by junior Christian Bailey, who placed 44th (26:01 for 8k).
Following O'Brien was Kristen Wolfe (19:03, 60th), McKenna Nokes (19:34, 100th) and Callen Powers (19:39, 108th)
On the men's side after Bailey came Alexander Hill (26:15, 54th), Andrew Nelson (26:30, 68th) and David Lamberson (27:10, 101st).
The Cougars resume action in two weeks on Oct. 30, back in Boone, N.C. for the SoCon Championships, hosted by Appalachian State.
WCU Finishes Blue Ridge Open
BOONE, N.C. - The Western Carolina cross country teams finished the Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State on Friday afternoon in Boone, N.C. as the men's squad took 10th place and the women placed 15th.
Junior Josey Weaver paced the Catamount men with a 14th place finish out of 157 competitors, crossing the finish line in a time of 25:16.00. Sophomore Nolan Clark took 55th in a time of 26:17.00 while classmate Chase Fisher finished 77th (26:40.20).
WCU's top-five runners were rounded out by sophomore Jake Swimmer who placed 94th (27:01.00) and sophomore Garrett West with a time of 27:06.80 for 99th.
Of the four Southern Conference teams participating, the Catamounts took third finishing behind meet champion Appalachian State and a Furman team that placed seventh.
Sophomore Morgan Turner led the WCU women, placing 32nd out of 166 participants as she crossed the finish line in a time of 18:33.30. Sophomores Mara Smith (80th, 19:19.90) and Leslie Raymond (114th, 19:46.40) followed Turner as WCU's top finishers.
The top-five runners on the women's side were rounded out by senior Jordan Gaddy (115th, 19:48.40) and junior Olivia Jacobs (118th, 19:55.60).
The Catamounts will be back in action at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Boone, N.C.
Thompson, Schnell lead UNCG to pair of runner-up finishes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Joey Thompson broke the school record in the 8k by nine seconds and Ashley Schnell turned in a top-5 performance on the women's side as the men's and women's team each came away with runner-up team finishes on Friday at the Royal Cross Country Challenge. Also, part of the men's team ran in the Navy race, where Tyron Alston came won the individual title and the team finished in first place.
"The guys really ran a great race, said coach Linh Nguyen. "Joey broke the school record and just had a tactically great race. AJ really stepped it up today with a huge PR. He ran a really tough race and came up huge for us today. Andy and Kenny both ran season-best times, as well. Really, from one to seven, this team had a very good race. Queens is the No. 7 Division II team in the country, so to lose by 8 points to them without Jermaine (Coore) in the lineup is a good sign. I think we can still get better over the next two weeks, but I'm extremely happy with today's result."
Thompson broke the school record set just two weeks ago by teammate Mike Koech at the Greater Louisville Classic after running at 24:20.5 to finish in fourth place overall. Koech wasn't too far behind as he finished in seventh place in a time of 24:34.2.
AJ Savoia set a new personal-best and Andy Clyne also had a nice run as they both finished in the top-20 by running a 24:56.9 and a 25:17.6, respectively.
In the Navy race, Alston finished in a time of 26:27.2 to claim top individual honors. Ben Vasquez came in fifth place in a time of 27:04.6, while Taylor Hurst, Ben Constantinides and Ryan Solomon all finished in the top-12.
"Going in to the race, we felt the men could win this race," said Nguyen. "Tyron winning the individual title for his first collegiate win was really a bonus. He ran an extremely smart race and took control with about a mile and a half to go and never looked back. We had all 5 of our men in this race under 28:00, which was another goal we had before the race. This race capped off what was a very good day for us today."
On the women's side, Schnell continued to lead the Spartans as she finished in fifth place in a time of 17:48.3, just 11 seconds behind her school record she set two weeks ago. Kerry Hartman also turned in a top-10 finish as she completed the 5k course in 18:05.1.
Shaina Sumney finished in 15th place overall by running an 18:14.9.
"The women have been very consistent this year and have always done exactly what we've asked of them from a strategy standpoint," said Nguyen. "Kerry had a great race today to set a big PR. Our top three ran well and our next three packed it up closely. We still need to bring our gap from three to four down. However, I feel very good about where we are right now and I think we're still getting better. A lot of the girls ran PR's today and that's always a good thing."
Davidson Men's Cross Country Fourth at Royal Cross Country Challenge
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Junior Ryan Hopkins led the Davidson men's cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the Royal Cross Country Challenge hosted by Queens University in McAlpine Park.
Hopkins placed fifth, completing the 8K course in 24 minutes, 26.6 seconds, six seconds behind Joey Thompson of Southern Conference foe UNCG. Senior Charlie Schmitt (Midlothian, Va.) and sophomore Demetrios Pagonis both placed in the Top 15 in 11th (24:56.5) and 13th (24:58.2), respectively.
Sophomore Vincent Weir and senior Greg Marcil rounded out the top-five scoring group. Weir took 26th in 25:24.0, while Marcil placed 54th in 25:59.8.
A total of 202 runners representing 23 teams competed in the race. Host Queens University placed first with 66 points and was followed by UNCG (second place, 74 points) and Georgia Tech (third, 81). With 101 points, Davidson bested fifth-place Columbus State (176) by 75 points. Southern Conference rivals Elon (sixth, 180) and The Citadel (14th, 367) also competed.
Sophomore Wes Reynolds finished right behind Marcil in 55th place (26:02.8), while freshman Landry Bennett took 64th in 26:14.7.
The meet was the last for Davidson before the Southern Conference Championships, which will be hosted by Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. on Saturday, October 30.
A Pair of Top-20 Finishes Help Davidson's Women to a Fifth-Place Finish at the Royal Cross Country Challenge
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Seniors Lauren Childs and Heather Conarroe finished in the top 20 to help the Davidson Wildcat women's cross country team to a fifth-place team finish Friday evening at the Royal Cross Country Challenge hosted by Queens University at Charlotte's McAlpine Park.
Childs finished 14th overall with a time of 18:14.4, and Conarroe placed 19th with a time of 18:21.40 to lead the Wildcats, who finished fifth as a team with 158 points. Classmate Sarah Cline finished 36th with a time of 18:46.30.
Freshman Megan Mavity (41st, 18:51.40) and sophomore Natalie Atabek (64th, 19:16.20) also scored for Davidson.
"I'm really pleased with the progress that we have shown this season!" head coach Jen Straub said. "I thought we had some really strong performances tonight, and I am excited to see what we can put at SoCons in a few weeks!"
Florida State (77) finished first in the team competition, followed by UNCG (103), Georgia Tech (119) and Lee University (142).
The Wildcats will take a weekend off to prepare for the 2010 SoCon Cross Country Championships held on the campus of Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. Oct. 30.
Women Finish Third and Men 14th at the Royal CC Challenge
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Freshman Danielle McKee's first place finish in the women's 5,000 meter Navy race, guided The Citadel to a third place finish at the Royal Cross Country Challenge, while the men's squad finished 14th in the men's 8,000 meter Gold race. The event, ran at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C., featured four races, two for the women and two for the men, 700 runners and 25 schools from NCAA Division I, II and NAIA and NJCAA.
McKee posted a time of 19:00.6, beating her second pl ace competitor by 42.1 seconds, for the first top-five finish by any Bulldog women's runner this season. Senior captain Suzanne Gay also recorded a top-five finish coming in fifth place with a time of 20:01.4. Freshman Christina Shonbeck ran a time of 20:22.5 and finished in 14th place, while senior Sarah Stierwalt came in 21st place with a time of 20:44.4 Also running for the Bulldogs, sophomore Micah Wessinger earned a 23rd place finish with a time of 20:52.7, and junior Erinn Carter rounded out the Cadets with a 27th place finish with a time of 21:04.8
The women earned an overall third place finish out of 13 teams after posting 59 points and an average time of 20:12.0. Southern Conference opponent Elon came in first place in the women's Navy race with 44 points and an average time of 20:09.6 and Emory finished in second with an average time of 20:15.6 and 52 points. Florida State won the women's 5,000 meter Gold race.
Out of 23 teams, the men's squad earned a 14th place finish after completing the race with 367 points and an average time of 26:30.6. Sophomore Kyle Keene led the Cadets posting a time of 25:55.0 for a 53rd place finish. Sophomore Austin Waldrop finished in 75th place with a time of 26:27.4, while Atom Young finished in 86th place posting a time of 26:32.8. Wells Johnson finished among the top 100 in 99th place with a time of 26:41.6.
Also running for The Citadel was John Gatewood, Chris Fallis, Ben Canipe, Paul Fleckenstein, P.J. Wasilchak, Clay Thornton, Kevin Flood, Brandon Rabon and Jordan Ashley.
Host Queens Uviversity won the men's Gold Race with 66 points and an average time of 24:56.4, while SoCon foe UNC Greensboro came in second with an average time of 24:56.4 and 74 points and Georgia Tech in third with 81 points and an average time of 25:03.6. UNCG also had participants in the men's 8,000 meter Navy race, in which the Spartans came in first place.
The Citadel cross country teams will take a break before next competing in the Southern Conference Championships on Oct. 30 in Boone, N.C.
Phoenix Cross Country Wraps Up Action in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In its final competition before the 2010 Southern Conference Championships, the Elon University men's and women's cross country teams ran in the Royal Cross Country Challenge today, Oct. 15, hosted by Queens University. Both squads had a solid showing, as the men placed sixth in the 23-team field and the women placed seventh out of 20 teams.
The Queen's men placed first with 66 points as a team, while Florida State picked up the women's team title with 76 points. Columbus State's Meshack Koyiaki won the men's individual title with a time of 24:12.0, while Shorter's Justyna Mudy won the women's race with a time of 17:10.2.
For the men, true freshman Nick Schneider paced the Phoenix, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 25:20.3. Schneider's time is the second fastest in Elon men's cross country history, trailing only Justin Gianni's performance at the Louisville Classic on Oct. 2 when he ran a 24:52.67.
As for Gianni, the senior had another stellar race for Elon, placing 32nd after crossing the finish line at 25:27.7.
Senior Matt Richardson was the next Elon harrier to finish, placing 37th at 25:34.8.
For the women, freshman Allyson Oram was the first Phoenix harrier to cross the finish line for the second straight race, as she took 21st with a time of 18:25.7. Oram's time is a personal record, besting her performance at the Louisville Classic when she ran an 18:27.48 at the Louisville Classic on Oct. 2.
Morgan Denecke was the second Elon runner to cross the finish line, as she placed 30th overall with a PR time of 18:40.1.
Following Denecke was Emily Tryon, who finished at 18:49.0, good for 39th place.
Elon is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 30, for the 2010 SoCon Cross Country Championships in Boone, N.C.
D'Alessio Leads Samford Women To Top Spot At Front Runner
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Sophomore Lauren D'Alessio led the Samford women's cross country team to its first team win of the season Saturday in the women's two-mile run at the Front Runner Invitational hosted by Chattanooga. The Samford men placed fourth in the 5K race.
"It was a bittersweet kind of afternoon," Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. "Our girls had a good day and were able to beat UTC at their home course but the guys took a step back this weekend. We have to rededicate ourselves for the next two weeks to be ready for the SoCon Championships."
D'Alessio won the women's two-mile with a time of 10:56. It is her first individual win of the season as well. Hillary Neal followed in fifth place with a time of 11:16 while Ina Ables (11:32) and Deanna Zidar (11:36) rounded out the Bulldogs in the top ten in eighth and ninth places, respectively.
Holly Benson placed 14th with a time of 11:41 followed by Claire Grogan in 20th with a time of 11:53. Alli Keithan placed 25th with a time of 12:04 while Rachel Sims (12:13) and Lillie Jackson (12:14) rounded out the field for Samford in 28th and 29th places, respectively.
The Bulldogs defeated their conference rival Chattanooga by 12 points. The first-place Bulldogs had 34 points while the Lady Mocs came in second with 46. Middle Tennessee State finished third with 72 points followed by Tennessee in fourth with 83 points and Kennesaw State in fifth with 142. West Georgia (175) and Tennessee State (191) rounded out the women's field in sixth and seventh places.
Scott Cope led the Bulldog men, coming in 12th place with a time of 16:02. Freshmen James Graham and John Gayle followed in 17th and 18th places, respectively, with times of 16:20 and 16:23. Layton Dorsett placed 21st with a time of 16:34, and Ramsey White (17:10) and Conrad Taylor (18:02) rounded out the Bulldog men in 31st and 36th places respectively.
Chattanooga won the men's team title with 36 points followed by Kennesaw State in second place with 38 points. MTSU finished in third with 58 points followed by Samford with 95 points. West Georgia took fifth place with 115 points followed by Tennessee State in sixth with 168 and Trevecca in seventh with 194.
The Bulldogs have a week off to rest and prepare for the Southern Conference Championships which will take place in Boone, N.C, Saturday, Oct. 30.
Chattanooga has Good Showing in Home Finale
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Chattanooga men edged Kennesaw State and the women placed second behind Southern Conference rival Stamford at the annual UTC Front Runner Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Moccasin Bend Race Course.
Under crystal clear blue skies and moderate temperatures, the conditions were ideal for the final home race for Chattanooga seniors Anneli Uys, Shelley Taylor, Emmanuel Kirwa, and David Moore.
"Compared to the first race we had out here this year, this was beautiful, "Uys said. "Last year half the course was flooded so we had to change it. This was really a beautiful day."
In the men's race, the Mocs placed all five runners in the Top 15 to finish with a race-best team score of 36 just ahead of Kennesaw State's 38 points.
"We ran a good race today," UTC Head Coach Bill Gautier said. "Kennesaw State was seventh at Louisville so that's how we would have done if we'd have everyone healthy. I believe we've got the ability and the athletes to do really well the rest of the way."
Chattanooga's Kirwa finished second behind rival Festus Chemaoi of Middle Tennessee by a four second margin with junior Chris Berry of the Mocs finishing third. Chemaoi completed the 5K in a time of 15:02 followed by Kirwa's 15:06. Berry was just behind with a time of 15:08.
"The second mile was probably the hardest," Kirwa said. "I ran hard and didn't have a big kick at the end to catch Festus."
Lucas Cotter, running for the first time since sustaining an injury that knocked him out of the Greater Louisville Classic two weeks ago, was seventh overall with a time of 15:42. Moore was 10th for UTC with a time of 15:58 and junior Joshue Vasquez was the final scoring runner for the Mocs with a 14th place overall finish at 16:08.
"Today was the first time two of our guys ran since the Louisville race," Gautier said. "Lucas ran awesome and Josh hung on for a good race. Dave ran a great end-of-career race here today. He tried to win."
Middle Tennessee was third with a team score of 58 followed by Samford's 95. West Georgia was fifth with 115 points, Tennessee State was sixth with 168 points and Trevecca was seventh with 194 team points.
In the women's race, SoCon foe Samford beat out the Lady Mocs for the race title with a team score of 34 and UTC was second with 46 points. The Bulldogs' Lauren D'Alessio was the overall winner in the 2-mile race with a time of 10:56 followed by Kennesaw State's McKenzie Howe (10:58) and Uys in third with a time of 11:04.
"The last time McKenzie came here, she went out really fast and I only stuck with her for a mile," Uys said. "I figured this time I'd go out fast and see how long I could run with her. On the back straight at about a mile-and-a-half I was still with her and decided I had a good shot at finishing ahead of her."
Junior Tara Gietema was the second UTC finisher in sixth place with a time of 11:26. Sophomore Mary Cumbee was 11th with a time of 11:40 followed immediately by teammate Taylor with a time of 11:41. Sophomore Kathryn Stuart was the fifth Chattanooga runner to cross the line with a time of 11:42.
"We ran really well today, and still got beat," Gautier said. "We trained really hard this week and we're working to get ready for the conference meet. We could be first or fifth this year, that's how close these teams are."
The Running Mocs will take the next two weeks off as they prepare for the upcoming Southern Conference championships to be held in Boone, N.C., on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.
Wofford's Kelsey Snaps School Record at Upstate Invitational
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Wofford College Sophomore Andrea Kelsey set a new Terrier record with an 18:42.50, while Trey Parker ran the second time in Wofford history under 26 minutes with a time of 25:56.78 at the Upstate Invitational at the Millikan Research Park Saturday afternoon.
Kelsey's time was good enough for ninth place in the meet and was the third time a women's cross country runner finished with a time under 19 minutes. She broke teammate Nicole Klasnic's school record of 18:42.2 in Charlotte, N.C. last season. Kelsey's time was seven seconds faster. Early in the season, Kelsey turned in an 18:58.9 at the Eye Opener Invitational at the Millikan Research Park.
Terriers Kim Stauffer, 19:41.62, Sam Hughes, 19:44.84, Katie Kessler, 19:52.25, and Caitlin Dodd, 19:54.12, finished within 13 seconds of each other to round out Wofford's top five. All five Terrier runners finished in the top 25. Stauffer, Dodd and Elizabeth Tapp, 23:07.84, all ran personal bests in the meet.
On the men's side, Parker's time of 25:56.78 was four seconds shy of breaking the school record. His time was good enough for seventh place in the meet. Mavrick Harris set a personal best with a time of 27:08.44 as he finished in 28th place. Russell Baker, 27:41.56, Matt Menard, 28:30.22, and Ben Boyles, 29:43.87, completed the Terriers top five runners.
The women's team took fourth out of nine teams, while the men's team finished in sixth out of nine teams.
The Terriers' next meet will be in the Southern Conference Championship on October 30th in Boone, N.C.
Curry Anchors Cross Country Team with Top-15 Finish
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In the last competition before the Southern Conference Championships, the Georgia Southern Cross Country team competed in the USC Upstate Invitational, placing sixth overall. The Eagles performance was anchored by a top-15 time by sophomore Sara Curry. Curry ran a 19:32.66 in the 5K meet, just seconds off her personal best set at the Gamecock Invitational earlier this year.
Classmate Heather McAllister recorded her second-best career time at 20.22.62 in the race and junior Azura Robillard had her best time of 2010 at 20:46.56. Junior Brittani Martinreturned to action this week and posted a 21:17.34 with Amanda Tennyson, racing in her first meet of the season, finishing behind her at 21:19.00.
The Eagles will train for the next two weeks in preparation for the Southern Conference Championships on Saturday, October 30th. Appalachian State will play host