Davidson Men's Cross Country Wins Clemson Invitational
CLEMSON, S.C. - Junior Ryan Hopkins set a new Davidson men's cross country 8K course record en route to leading the Wildcats to a first-place finish at the Clemson Invitational at Musser Farms Friday evening.
Hopkins placed second overall in 24:20, the fastest time ever run by a Davidson men's cross country runner on an 8K course. Sophomore Demetrios Pagonis (25:29) and senior Charlie Schmitt (25:28) also earned top-five finishes, taking fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Wildcats won the race with 28 points. Charlotte was second with 59 and Clemson, ranked No. 13 in the Southeast region, placed third with 62 points.
"I was very proud of guy's performance," said Davidson head coach Gary Andrew. "We talked about running a smarter race than we did in our first race of the season, and they went out and did. There were many personal records set, and it was just a very solid performance all around."
Senior Greg Marcil (25:47) and sophomore Vincent Weir earned top-10 finishes, placing eighth and ninth, respectively. Sophomore Wes Reynolds and freshman Jamie Durling placed 13th (26:03) and 17th (26:14), respectively.
Complete results will be posted at www.DavidsonWildcats.com when they are made available.
The 'Cats will split and compete in two meets Friday, Oct. 1 and Saturday, Oct. 2. One group will compete in the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational on Friday while a select group will compete in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Challenge Saturday.
Curry Posts Top Georgia Southern Finish at Clemson Invitational
CLEMSON, S.C. - Sophomore Sara Curry posted her second-best personal time with a 19:40.23 in the 5K race for 40th place at the Clemson Invitational at Musser Farms Friday evening. Sophomore Heather McAllister took half a second off her previous personal best time at 20:10.63. McAllister finished 48th overall. Senior Kassi Lee placed 52nd with a time of 20:36.56.
Sophomore Talisha Rice posted her personal best time at the Clemson Invitational, shaving more than a full second off a 2009 time.
Clemson played host to the Invitational for the first time since 2006. The Eagles last raced in this meet in 2004.
The Eagle Cross Country team will compete with 40 other teams at the Charlotte Invitational on Friday, October 1. The start of the race is scheduled for 4 p.m.
UNCG Men and Women Win Elon Invitational
ELON, N.C. - Mike Koech broke the school record in the 8k to take top honors in the men's race, while Ashley Schnell won the race for the women's team as UNCG claimed both team titles on Saturday at the Elon Invitational.
"Mike set the school record today which is great in the first race of the season," said coach Linh Nguyen. "He and Joey really controlled the front of the race and ran well. What we take from today is that we need to get our three, four, five and six guys closer to those top two. AJ ran a big PR today and closed really well, securing the narrow victory. We still have some work to do and we need to get better in the next two months, but today was a solid start."
Koech broke the school record set by teammate Joey Thompson last season by nearly three seconds with his time of 24:54 to come in first place. Thompson wasn't far behind as he finished in second place after running a 25:05.
AJ Savoia also had a great day as he finished in fifth place and bested his previous personal-best by over 36 seconds with a time of 25:31. Andy Clyne and Kenny Hinman also had top-10 finishes as they came in ninth and tenth place, respectively.
Schnell paced the women's team as she came in first place in a time of 18:05, which is the third-fastest time in school history for the 5k.
"I'm extremely pleased with the way the women ran today," said Nguyen. "We have been really challenging them this year to raise the bar and they did that today. Yesterday, we had a team meeting and told the women that we could win the meet. That's a tall order because Elon is one of the best teams in the SoCon. Our women came out today and executed the race plan exactly how we asked. It's definitely a good way to start the season. Now we just have to keep the ball rolling."
Shaina Sumney came in third place for the Spartans and set a new personal-best time with an 18:17. Newcomer Maureen Cronley ran an 18:43 to come in fifth place. Kerry Hartman also had a top-10 finish as she ran an 18:59 to come in seventh place.
The Spartans will return to competition on Oct. 2 as some of the runners will compete at the Greater Louisville Classic, while others will run at the Hagan Stone XC Classic.
Elon Men and Women Take Second at Elon Invitational
ELON, N.C. - The Elon University men's and women's cross country teams had an impressive showing on Saturday morning at the 2010 Elon Invitational, as both squads placed second.
The Elon men fell just short of defending its title, taking second place with 28 points, just one point behind the champions from UNC Greensboro, who placed first with 27 points.
"The men ran very tough today and our freshman performed well," said Elon head cross country coach Christine Engel. "Justin [Gianni] and Matt [Richardson] ran extremely well today, but unfortunately well fell just one point short of a talented Greensboro team. Overall, I was very excited about the heart our guys showed today."
On the women's side, the Phoenix finished second overall with 37 points, followed by UNC Greensboro, who took home the title with just 28 points.
"Our women had a really strong pack throughout the race, but started too far back in the beginning to make a run late in the race," said Engel.
"The Greensboro women ran very well up front and just left us with too much to make up."
Senior Justin Gianni was the first Elon harrier to cross the finish line, as he placed third overall with a time of 25:15. Gianni's time is a personal record, besting his performance at last year's Louisville Classic, where he ran a time of 25:39.75.
Senior Matt Richardson also ran a personal record, finishing with a time of 25:26, good for fourth overall. Richardson's previous PR in the 8K was 25:41 at the Winthrop Invitational in 2008.
For the women, senior Emily Fournier paced the Phoenix on the day, as she placed fourth overall with a time of 18:24.
Following Fournier was freshman Allyson Oram, who placed sixth overall with a time of 18:50. Sophomore Chrissy Pacewicz and senior Catherine Rossi were the next two Elon runners to cross the finish line, taking eighth and ninth place, respectively.
Elon is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 2, when it heads to Louisville, Ky. for the Louisville Classic.
Mocs Second, Lady Mocs Third at Vanderbilt Commodore Classic
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's cross country team finished second at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic Saturday morning at the Percy Warner Park while the women's team placed third in the 15-team event.
Senior Emmanuel Kirwa was second in the event behind Festus Chemaoi of Middle Tennessee while junior Chris Berry finished fourth in his first cross country race since 2008. Kirwa was just four seconds behind Chemaoi with a time of 25:21.45 and Berry ran the 8-kilometer race in a time of 25:32.
Tennessee took first with a team score of 27 followed by the Mocs with 47 points. The Vols placed all five scoring runners in the top 10. Sophomores Lucas Cotter and Nathan Wanuch were the next two runners to finish for the Mocs with Cotter 12th with a time of 26:07.29 and Wanuch right behind with a time of 26:08.35. Junior Joshue Vasquez was the final scoring runner to place for UTC with a time of 26:23.29 in 18th followed immediately by senior David Moore with a time of 26:25.37.
Belmont placed third in the race followed by SE Missouri, Lipscomb and host Vanderbilt in sixth.
In the women's race, senior Anneli Uys was fifth overall with a time of 18:20.42. Junior Tara Gietema was Chattanooga's second finisher at 18th with a time of 18:59.58 over the 5-kilometer course.
Sophomore Kathryn Stuart was 22nd with a time of 19:07.53 while teammate Mary Cumbee was 24th at 19:15.10. Senior Shelley Taylor was the final scoring runner for the Lady Mocs with a time of 19:26.68 placing 28th overall.
Vanderbilt won the women's 5K with 21 points followed by Lipscomb in second and Chattanooga third. Belmont was fourth with Middle Tennessee taking fifth, Tennessee sixth and Rhodes seventh.
Chattanooga will return to action Saturday, Oct. 9 at the Samford University Invitational as the Runnning Mocs get an opportunity to preview the course for the NCAA Regional.
Appalachian State Men Win Asics-Winthrop Invitational
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Appalachian State men's cross country walked away from Rock Hill, S.C. as the team champion of the 24th Annual Asics-Winthrop Invitational in its first 8k race of the season.
The Mountaineers ran an outstanding race with placing five of seven runners in the top 10. The team dominated the eight-team field by only scoring 23 points; Furman came in second with 55.
Junior Sean Soderman captured the individual crown with a time of 24:38.91, just missing a personal best by less than a second. Will Raby finished third in a personal best of 25:10.66. Senior Brandon Hudgins (25:38.87) and sophomore Alex Taylor (25:43.06) also recorded personal bests while placing seventh and ninth overall.
Nick Kelly closely followed Taylor to round out the team scoring with a tenth place finish in a time of 25:43.89.
Appalchian takes a week off from meets as it prepares for the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa. on October 1.
Appalachian State Women Place Second at Asics-Winthrop Invitational
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Appalchian State women's cross country had an impressive showing at the Asics-Winthrop Invitational Saturday when it captured second place out of 10 teams in the 5k race.
ASU scored 45 points as a team, eight short of meet champion South Carolina.
Last season's SoCon champion, Brittney Caudle, led the Mountaineers with a second place finish in a time of 18:07.94.
Amy Neilson came in sixth place with a time of 18:35.79. Hannah Orders closley followed in a time of 18:46.38, which was good enough for 10th and four seconds off her personal best.
Dani Reese (18:56.35), Destine Kirkman (18:56.82) and Sarah Williamson (18:57.12) claimed 15th-17th place, all posting a career best.
The last App runner to finish in the top 20 was Natalie Shaw at 18th in a personal best of 19:03.59.
Beatrice Biwott from South Carolina claimed the individual crown in a time of 18:01.19.
Appalachian takes a week off from competition as it prepares for the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa. on October 1.
Furman Men's Cross Country Team Wins S.C. Intercollegiate Meet; Paladin Women Take Second Place
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Junior Lee Gilmer and senior Charlie McGoogan took second and third places, respectively, to lead the Furman men's cross country team to a first place finish in the South Carolina Intercollegiate Championships, which was held in conjunction with the ASICS/Winthrop Fall Classic Saturday morning in Rock Hill, S.C. For the S.C. Intercollegiate, all times of runners from South Carolina schools were extracted from the times posted at the ASICS/Winthrop Fall Classic to form a separate meet.
Gilmer posted an 8K time of 25:31.35 for second place in the S.C. meet and sixth place in the overall meet, while McGoogan recorded a time of 25:41.97 for third place in the S.C. meet and eighth place overall. Sophomore Chris Caldwell placed fifth in the S.C. meet and 13th overall with a time of 25:49.42, while sophomore Wilkerson Given took ninth in the S.C. Intercollegiate and 23rd place overall after completing the course in 26:14.39. Freshman Tyler Greathouse rounded out the Paladin scorers, placing 11th overall and 33rd in the overall meet with a time of 26:40.07.
The Furman women's team placed second at the S.C. Intercollegiate Meet behind winner South Carolina. Junior Brooke Mosteller placed second in the 5K S.C. individual meet and fourth in the overall meet with a time of 18:09.15 to lead the Paladins. Senior Jenna Callahan finished eighth in the S.C. meet and 12th overall, turning in a time of 18:53.02. Junior Chloe Kowalski posted a time of 19:09.90, taking 12th place in the S.C. meet and 22nd overall, while junior Rebecca Shelton recorded a time of 19:32.76 for 18th place in the S.C. meet and 34th overall. Freshman Julia Means completed the scorers for Furman, turning in a time of 19:39.54 for 20th in the S.C. meet and 37th place overall.
The Furman men's team placed second overall in the ASICS/Winthrop Fall Classic behind winner Appalachian State, while the Paladin women's team finished third behind South Carolina and Appalachian State.
Furman will run at the Citadel Invitational in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 25.
Western Carolina Men Take 3rd; Women Place 5th at ASIC Winthrop Invitational
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's cross country took third at the ASICS/Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C., while the Catamount women placed fifth.
Josey Weaver led the Catamount men with a fifth-place finish in a time of 25:30.72. Chase Fisher placed 31st in a time of 26:31.48 followed by Nolan Clark (31st, 26:31.48) and Jake Swimmer (26:53.84).
Tyler Dunn ran the 8K event in a time of 27:09.16 to place 48th. Garrett West finished in 51st with a time of 27:14.24 while Drew Tucker (60th, 27:33.82) and Stephon Roach (100th, 29:23.36) rounded out the WCU runners.
"We did not do a lot of things right functioning as a team," said Western Carolina head coach Danny Williamson. "Finishing third shows we have some talent and when we function as a team we will be even better. Overall, I am proud of our efforts."
On the women's side, Morgan Turner paced the Catamounts with a 10th-place finish in the 5K event, crossing the finishing line in a time of 18:38.57. Mara Smith placed 22nd in a time of 19:06.12 followed by senior Jordan Gaddy in 35th (19:31.75).
Olivia Jacobs (46th, 19:58.44), Leslie Raymond (55th, 20:12.60) and Jocelyn Keen (84th, 21:19.21) rounded out the top-six WCU runners. Deanna Butler crossed the finish line in a time of 21:26.12 for 88th while Kaylan Lance rounded out WCU's top runners who placed in the top-100 finishers with a 93rd-place finish (21:42.06).
The Catamounts final two runners completing the race were Alyse Childress in 108th in a time of 22:08.17 and Hayley Tomlinson in 113th (22:17.29).
"We got caught up in a large pack of runners at the beginning of the race and did not get out like we needed to and it put us in a bad position for the rest of the race," said Williamson. "We had to fight our way through the pack the rest of the race. We had some great individual performances but we need a better team effort in the future."
The Catamounts will be back in action on Oct. 1 at the Charlotte Invitational.
College of Charleston Men, Women Finish Sixth at Winthrop Meet
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The men's and women's cross country teams continued the strong start to their season, led by top-10 finishes from freshman Dena O'Brien and juniors Christian Bailey and Alex Hill both squads finished in sixth-place at the Asics-Winthrop Invitational.
The meet was also scored with just the teams from South Carolina and the Cougars finished third overall with that tabulation.
O'Brien continued the excellent start of her Cougar career with a fourth-place individual finish in 18:08.11. The time is a career-best for her. On the men's side Hill came within two seconds of the school record with an 11th place finishing time of 25:44. Among South Carolina schools O'Brien finished second and Hill fourth. Bailey finished 10th among South Carolina schools and 24th overall in 26:14.62.
"Alex Hill ran like we think he can run," said head coach Amy Seago. "He showed what we have seen in his workouts and he did great. Dena got outkicked in the last seconds by the returning champ from Appalachian State, so those two were very solid."
Following in O'Brien was Kristen Wolfe with a 31st place finish and time of 19:21.62. On the men's side the third runner was freshman Andrew Nelson with a 41st place finish in 26:54.89.
The Cougars will run close to home next weekend as they compete in the Citadel Invitational at James Island County Park. The men's race is scheduled for a 9:00a.m. start while the women will toe the line at 9:45a.m.
The Citadel Men Finish Seventh, Women Ninth at Winthrop-Asics Invitational
Rock Hill, S.C. - The Citadel cross country teams competed at the Winthrop-Asics Invitational on Saturday morning. The men finished in seventh place overall with an average time of 27:04.35 and 154 points, while the women placed ninth with an average time of 21:03.92 and 249 points. Also competing in the South Carolina Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships, the men posted a fourth place finish, while the women finished in sixth place.
Sophomore Kyle Keene led the Bulldogs as he posted a time of 26:10.63 for an 18th overall place finish, which earned him a eighth place finish in the South Carolina Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship rankings. Classmate Austin Waldrop followed finishing in 27th place with an overall time of 26:49.02. Wells Johnson came in 33rd place overall with a time of 26:56.45, while sophomore John Gatewood recorded a time of 27:08.28 for a 35th place finish to round out the top 40 runners.
For the women, freshman Danielle McKee recorded a time of 19:59.22 for a 43rd place overall finish and 25th in the South Carolina Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship rankings. Senior Suzanne Gay followed as she posted a time of 20:22.74 to finish in 53rd place. Christina Shonbeck ran a time of 21:14.50 for 70th place in her debut as a Bulldog. Junior Erinn Carter finished in 77th place with a time of 21:43.59, while senior Sarah Stierwalt came in 79th place with a time of 21:59.78. Sophomore Micah Wessinger rounded out the Bulldogs finishing in 86th place with a time of 22:23.56.
Coming up next, The Citadel will host the Will Wilson Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 25 at the James Island County Park. For more information on The Citadel Cross Country, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Terriers had Six PRs at Winthrop Invitational
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Wofford College men's and women's cross country teams had six personal best times at the Asics/WInthrop Cross Country Invitational Saturday.
The women took seventh in the meet out of ten teams while, the men finished eighth out of nine teams.
For the women in the 5k distance, Andrea Kelsey finished with a time of 19:05 to finished in 19th place. She was the only Terrier to finish in the top 25 during the race.
Sam Hughes ran a 19:37, Caitlin Dodd ran a 20:00, Katie Kessler finished with a time of 20:05 and Kim Stauffer ran a time of 25:16 to complete Wofford's top five runners. Dodd and Alyssa Burkett who ran a time of 20:28 set personal best marks in the meet.
On the men's side, Mavrick Harris led the way with a time of 27:14 over the 8k distance. Russell Baker with a time of 28:13, Matt Menard with a time of 28:28, Chase Wolfe with a time of 28:46 and Ben Boyles with a time of 29:32 rounded out the Terriers' top five. Boyles, Harris, Menard and Wolfe all set personal best.
The two teams will take two weeks off before returning to action on Friday, October 1st at the Charlotte Invitational.
Samford Women Take Third, Men Place Ninth At Crimson Classic
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --- The Samford University cross country teams got their 2010 seasons underway Saturday at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Bulldog women placed third out of 18 teams while the men came in ninth out of 18 teams.
"This was an impressive start for the girls," Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. "We would have put four in front of our number one girl from last year. Finishing third lets us know that we are exactly where we need to be."
The women tallied 105 points, finishing 49 points out of the lead. Texas A&M took the top spot with 51 points followed by host team Alabama in second place with 54. The Bulldogs also finished ahead of notable programs like Auburn and Ole Miss.
Sophomore Lauren D'Alessio was the top runner for the Samford women in the 5K race, finishing sixth with a time of 17:33.40. Senior Hillary Neal and junior Deanna Zidar finished 20th and 21st, respectively, with times of 18:18.30 and 18:20.70. Sophomore Holly Benson came in 28th for the Bulldog women with a time of 18:32.10 while freshman Claire Grogan placed 36th with a time of 18:51.70.
Junior Lillie Jackson came in 45th place with a time of 19:06.00 while junior Alli Keithan placed 56th with a time of 19:29.20. Senior Jillian Klassen rounded out the Samford field, placing 61st with a time of 19:35.60.
The men tallied 273 points to finish ninth. Alabama claimed the top spot with 57 points followed by Ole Miss (78), Texas A&M (82), Auburn (95), Kennesaw State (108), Columbus State (135), Mississippi Valley State (220) and Troy (247).
Leading the Bulldogs was senior Scott Cope who finished 44th with a time of 26:47.90 on the 8K course. Freshman Layton Dorsett placed 49th with a time of 26:59.20 while freshman James Graham came in 69th with a time of 27:51.50. Sophomore Ramsey White placed fourth for the Bulldogs, coming in 76th place with a time of 28:19.90. Henry Stevens-Carty came in 105th with a time of 30:18.80 followed by George Mardre at 115th place with a time of 31:01.00.
"Our guys have got some work to do but we knew that coming in," Tiffin said. "We will continue to work toward the conference championship and see where we end up."
Blaise Carie and Conrad Taylor ran unattached. Carie took 22nd place with a time of 25:39.50 while Taylor placed 92nd with a time of 29:19.30.
The Bulldogs will be back in action next Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Brooks Memphis Twilight.