Men's Cross Country Southern Conference

Saturday Cross Country Wrap Up

The Citadel Men 4th, Women 6th at Will Wilson Citadel Invitational

Mt. Pleasant, S.C. – Danielle McKee recorded a season-best time of 18:37 to take tenth place on Saturday morning at Laurel Hill Plantation in the 32nd annual Will Wilson Citadel Invitational. The Bulldog men's team took fourth place overall while the women finished in sixth.

McKee continues to improve as the junior has now recorded the top time for her team in each of her 17 collegiate races. The freshman trio of Jacqueline Thompson (24th place, 19:37), Caillian Colquitt (34th place, 20:19) and Jessica Dewitte (35th place, 20:25) finished behind McKee for the Bulldogs.

The Winthrop women's team took the overall crown with 56 points behind an impressive 17:27 5k by overall champion Jeanne Stroud.

Raeven Lantz led the Bulldog team for the first time this season with an 8k mark of 27:05. Mt. Pleasant native Miles Keohane took second for the Bulldogs and 18th overall with a time of 27:30. Paul Fleckenstein (21st place, 27:59), Bo Hutchinson (22nd place, 28:07) and Brandon Rabon (26th place, 28:47) finished out the top 5 for The Citadel men's team.

Mercer runners Lukas Steinheber (25:14) and Jacob Law (25:43) took the top two spots to help lead their team to a first place finish with 21 points.

The Citadel will have a week off before coming back out to Laurel Hill Plantation for the Southern Conference championship race on Oct. 27.

Elon Women 33rd at NCAA Pre-National Meet

LOUISVILLE, KY. – Freshman Elyse Bierut and junior Allyson Oram ran the second and third fastest 6K times in school history as the Elon women’s cross country program competed at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet on Saturday morning. Bierut ran a time of 21:50.6, while Oram crossed the line at a time of 21:51.0 in the race at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park.

The Phoenix finished 33rd overall at the meet, featuring numerous powerhouses that finished among the elite at the 2011 national championships.

Bierut lead the team for the first time this season, just edging out her teammate Oram by one second as the Rocky River, Ohio, native broke into the record books for the first time. Oram previously held the seventh all-time mark and improved on that time by 30 seconds with today’s performance.

Freshman Tereza Novotna was third to cross the line for Elon with a time of 22:24.5 with teammate Emily Tryon right behind her at 22:26.4. Haylee Dawe was also close with her mark of 22:28.7.  

Senior Christine Pacewicz (22:47.4) and freshman Kaitlin Snapp (22:51.2) rounded out the times for the maroon and gold.

The women’s and men’s programs will return to the course on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships in Charleston, S.C.

Davidson Men 38th at NCAA Pre-National Meet

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Senior Demitrios Pagonis led the Davidson men’s cross country team to a 38th-place finish in a competitive field at the NCAA Pre-National meet hosted by the University of Louisville Saturday afternoon in E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park.

Pagonis completed the 8K course in 24:36.7 to place 115th. Classmate Wes Reynolds was 167th in 25:00.5, while Vincent Weir (25:06.9), Ryan Phillips (25:17.3) and Daniel Samet (25:45.1) rounded out the ‘Cats’ top-five scoring group.

Anthony Rotich of UTEP was the individual winner in 23:01.0, while Colorado took the team title with 72 points.

Davidson next competes in the SoCon Championships Oct. 27 in Charleston, S.C.

Samford Women 5th, Men 6th at Crimson Classic

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- Samford’s Lauren D’Alessio was the top overall finisher in the women’s 5k as Samford Cross Country competed at the Crimson Classic on Friday, hosted by the University of Alabama.  As a team, the women placed fifth with 110 points while the men place sixth in the 8k with 166 points.

D’Alessio led the entire field by nearly 20 seconds, winning the women’s 5k convincingly with a time of 17:23.40.  Rachel Roberts was in the lead pack, finishing close behind in third in 17:43.82.  The next Bulldog across was Holly Benson in 29th (18:30.76) followed by Rachel Wooten (36th, 18:36.68) and Frances Bernard (49th, 18:59.31) to wrap up Samford’s point scorers.  Marie Demedicis and Chelsea Treadway finished neck-and-neck in 73rd (19:33.20) and 75th (19:35.83), respectively, with Margaret Grogan (92nd, 19:59.75) and Anna Laura Irvine (105th, 20:22.58) rounding out Samford’s competitors.

On the men’s side, the Bulldogs were led by Brandon Hazouri in 24th with a time of 26:30.59.  Hazouri has now been the Bulldogs’ top finisher in three of the season’s four races.  Fellow freshman Adam Jones was the next across the line in 32nd (26:46.05), followed by Layton Dorsett (40th, 26:53.53), Luke Weishaar (43rd, 26:55.36) and Steven Crain (62nd, 27:28.81) combining for 166 team points.  Ramsey White (85th, 28:12.92) and Lucas Sieb (86th, 28:21.38) rounded out the rest of Samford’s runners.

In two weeks, Samford will travel to Mount Pleasant, S.C., as The Citadel hosts the 2012 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27.  The meet will take place at the Laurel Hill Plantation.  The women's teams will start the event off with a 5,000-meter race at 10 a.m. ET and the men will follow with an 8,000-meter race at 10:45 a.m. ET.

Georgia Southern 7th at Will Wilson Invitational

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The Georgia Southern cross country team placed seventh at the Will Wilson Citadel Invitational in the Eagles’ final race before the Southern Conference Championships.

Sara Curry led the way for the Eagles, finishing 11th and posting a time of 18:39.63 in the 5K race, while Asea Mayfield was 32nd with a time of 20:02.44. Jami Joyner finished in 20:33.58, while Lindsay Mullican had a time of 20:49.51.

Kristiana Towns had a time of 21:59.04, and Amanda Ventre finished in 22:32.00. Alexandra Langmo rounded out the group with a time of 23:06.78.

Fellow SoCon members The Citadel and College of Charleston also competed in the race, and the Cougars were fourth while the Bulldogs placed sixth.

Georgia Southern has two weeks off before competing in the SoCon Championships in Mt. Pleasant Saturday, Oct. 27. The race is slated to start at 9 a.m.

Appalachian State Women 32nd at NCAA Pre-Nationals Meet

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Appalachian State University women’s cross country competed against the toughest competition they have seen this year at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet at E.P. “Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.

Senior Amanda Hamilton set the pace for the Mountaineers as she crossed the line 69th overall in a field of 265, running a personal-best 21:16.40 in the 6,000m event. Allison Cook came in second for App State as she completed the 6,000m event in a personal-best 22:03.60, while Justine Stocks came in third with a personal-best 22:10.20.

Senior Sarah Williamson clinched a fourth place finish for the Apps as she ran a career-best 22:21.40. Kaitlyn Cagle rounded out the scoring for the Black and Gold as she crossed the line at 22:55.50.

Four of the five Appalachian runners ran personal-best times on the afternoon and the top five all finished under 23 minutes.

Appalachian State finished 32nd overall as a team with 809 points, while Florida State would take home the first place win with 72 points. Oregon came in second on the afternoon with 87 points, while Michigan took home a third place finish with 141 points.

App State will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 27 when they compete in the Southern Conference Championships in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The Mountaineers look to capture its ninth conference title and its first since 2002. The meet is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

Furman Women 5th, Men 10th at NCAA Pre-National Meet

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- Sophomore Sinead Haughey placed 19th with a time of 21:51.5 in the women’s 6K to lead the Furman cross country teams at the NCAA Pre-Nationals Meet Saturday in Louisville, Ky.  The Furman women’s team scored 182 points for fifth place in the unseeded race, while the men’s team scored 196 points for tenth place among the unseeded teams.

Junior Kacie Schoen finished 41st with a time of 22:12.4, and sophomore Emily Zizzi claimed 54th place after completing the course in 22:18.9.  Senior Emily Wirzba placed 62nd with a time of 22:28.1, while sophomore Blair Burke (22:33.3) and senior Hannah Robinson (22:34.2) finished back-to-back in 73rd and 74th place, respectively.  Junior Catherine Burton posted a time of 23:18.8 for 131st place, and sophomore McKenzie Woolley turned in a time of 23:57.9 to finish 184th.

In the men’s 8K race, sophomore Tripp Hurt paced the Paladins with a time of 24:55.9 for 29th place.  Senior Wilkerson Given finished 47th after recording a time of 25:10.2, and junior Tyler Greathouse was 93rd with a time of 25:40.0.  Junior Jack Klecker claimed 141st place at 26:07.0, and freshman Bradley Gossett was 166th with a time of 26:23.5.  Sophomores Jack Morgan (26:36.8) and Stuart Graham (26:37.5) finished 190th and 192nd, respectively, while fellow sophomore William Ivey placed 224th with a time of 27:05.3.

Furman will compete at the Southern Conference Championships in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. on Oct. 27.

UNCG Men 28th, Women 21st at NCAA Pre-National Meet

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Junior Paul Chelimo finished second overall, just 13 seconds off the pace, leading the UNCG men's cross country team to a 28th place finish at the NCAA Division I Pre-Nationals seeded red race at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The race field featured 15 teams ranked in the top 40 of the nation and was run on the same course as this year's national championship.

Chelimo finished in a time of 23:14.0 in the 8,000-meter race, trailing UTEP's Antony Rotich who clocked a time of 23:01.0. Chelimo's time was over 14 seconds off his school-record pace set two weekends ago on the same course at the Greater Louisville Classic, when he recorded a time of 22:59.62.

Sophomore Paul Katam set a new personal-record placing 24th overall in a time of 23:49.9, cutting almost 10 seconds off his previous mark. Junior Abraham Kemboi (finished in 174th place with a time of 25:03.3, which is his fastest top of the year. Sophomore Dylan Belles rounded out the Spartans' top four finishers, placing 241st with a time of 25:51.10. Belles cut five seconds off his personal record time set earlier in the year at the Greater Louisville Classic.

UNCG finished 28th as a team with 698 points, highlighted by two in the top 25. Colorado won the event with a score of 72 as the Buffalos had five finishers in the top 25 while BYU was second with 127 points. 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Senior Chelsea Sumney (Washington, Pa./Trinity) finished in fourth place overall to lead the UNCG women's cross country team to a 21st place finish at NCAA Pre-Nationals women's unseeded black race at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park Saturday morning.

Sumney finished the 6,000-meter race in a time of 21:17.9, just six seconds off her personal-best time set at last year's NCAA Regional race. South Carolina's Kayla Lampe won the race in a time of 21:03.5 while Michigan's Taylor Manett placed second in a time of 21:14.8. Utah Valley won the team portion of the competition, placing first with a total of 154 points while UNCG was 21st with 513 points.

Freshman Lydia Saina ran her first 6,000-meter race of her young career and finished in a time of 23:09.80 to finish second on the team and 120th overall. Junior Kelly Montague (Garner, N.C./West Johnson) was the Spartans' third finisher, clocking a time of 23:20.0 to finish in 134th place.

The Spartans return to action October 27 as they take part in the Southern Conference championships in Charleston, S.C.

College of Charleston Men 3rd, Women 4th at Will Wilson Citadel Invitational

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston cross country teams got a preview of the course they will run the Southern Conference Championship on in two weeks as they competed at the Will Wilson Citadel Invitational on Saturday at Laurel Hill Plantation.

The women were led by sophomore Hayley McMahon, who came within four seconds of her career-best as she finished fifth in the women's 5K race in 18:08.40. Two other women finished under 19 minutes for the Cougars as freshman Kornelia Kostka was the next finisher in 18:49.75 for 13th place and sophomore Danielle Sams finished 14th in 18:51.03.

The men's team had three under 27 minutes for the 8K race, led by sophomore Adam Seften as he finished in 9th place in 26:22.99. Next for the men was sophomore Mackenzie Johnston in 26:28.24 for 10th place and senior Manning Miller finished 15th in 26:48.55.

Next up for the Cougars is the Southern Conference Championship, which will be contested on the same course as the Will Wilson Invitational and take place on Saturday Oct. 27.

Chattanooga Men, Women Win Front Runner Invitational

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's and women's cross country teams claimed both titles behind top place running from the Mocs' Nathan Wanuch and Lady Mocs' Amanda Sumner.

Sumner made it a sweep this season by outpacing the opponents for the second time at home after winning the PowerAde Invitational earlier this year. She had some strong competition this year from Kennesaw State's Lauren Scott who finished second. Sumner ran the course in a time of 11:25.85 with Scott right beind at 11:27.97 over the two mile course.

Chattanooga freshman Teghan Henderson was the second UTC runner across the line placing fourth with a time of 11:33.97, just half a second behind Middle Tennessee's Autumn Gipson. Sophomore Keeley Stewart was third for the Lady Mocs placing sixth overall with a time of 11:44.38 followed immediately by senior Kathryn Stuart at 11:48.23. Morgan Buchanan was the fifth UTC runner across the line placing 21st with a time of 12:29.60.

Freshman Helenka Kis finished with a time of 13:11.17 and junior Gabby Cader crossed the line with a time of 13:30.81

In the men's race, Wanuch won his second straight home meet outpacing the pack with a time of 15:17.68, nearly 10 full seconds ahead of Middle Tennessee's Robinson Simatei's time of 15:27.39. Bryan College's Anthony Simpson and Conner Hatfield placed third and fifth respectively with MTSU's Alden Dixon placing sixth.

Chattanooga senior Lucas Cotter returned to the course Saturday in his first meet this season after suffering a foot injury in last year's outdoor track season. He placed seventh for the Mocs with a time of 15:48.33 followed closely by teammate Trevor Janssen (Jordan Station, Ontario) with a time of 15:48.70.

Freshman Pual Stuart crossed the finish line fourth for UTC with a time of 15:51.79 and sophomore Drew Austell was the fifth UTC runner in at 15:59.75 over the 5000 meter course. Sophomore John Gilpin finished 20th overall for the Mocs with a time of 16:17.35.

The Running Mocs will take the next weekend off in preparation for the upcoming Southern Conference Championships in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Saturday October 27 at the Laurel Hill Plantation. The women's 5K race will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the men's 8K at 10:45 a.m.