Chattanooga - Sumner, Wanuch Claim Powerade Titles; Women Take First, Men Second
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's cross country team swept the top three spots Friday afternoon at the 27th annual PowerAde Invitational to claim the title. The Mocs were edged out by Middle Tennessee by a six point margin.
Sophomore Amanda Sumner led by a wide margin throughout the two-mile race and came in with a time of 11:38.02 followed by teammates Kathryn Stuart with a time of 11:57.83 and Keeley Stewart in third at 12:09.29.
Senior Mary Cumbee was the fourth UTC runner across the line with a time of 13:05.41 while newcomer Helenka Kis (13:43.42) was the fifth scoring runner across the line for Chattanooga.
The Lady Mocs scored 49 points to finish first with Middle Tennessee second with 62 points followed by Austin Peay (68) and UT Martin (81) in fourth. Covenant College and Alabama A&M tied for fifth with 153 points each while Tennessee State was seventh with 195 points.
In the men's race, senior Nathan Wanuch took up the torch for the Mocs and won the men's 5-kilometer with a time of 15:31.72. Freshman Paul Stuart, younger brother to current Lady Moc Kathryn and former runner Emmie, was the second UTC runner across the line placing fourth with a time of 16:02.65. Junior John Gilpin was seventh overall with a time of 16:32.98 and freshman Trevor Janssen was ninth (16:38.88) followed by sophomore Patrick O'Brien in 11th with a time of 16:53.39.
Middle Tennessee placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 with Robinson Simatei second with a time of 15:48.58. The Blue Raiders claimed the title with a score of 26 points followed by the Mocs 32 points. UT Martin was third with 67 points while Austin Peay placed fourth (103). Covenant College was fifth with 148 points and Tennessee State was sixth with 150 points.
Up next for UTC is the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9 a.m.
Samford - Women Place Second, Men Fourth at Auburn Invite
AUBURN, Ala. ---- Samford cross country continued its season Friday at the Auburn Invitational. Newcomers and veterans both shined as the Bulldog squad showed its depth and talent. The women's team placed second in the 4k while the men's team placed fourth in the 6k.
Freshman and Birmingham native Rachel Roberts made her Samford debut, cruising to a second-place finish in 14:30.19. Holly Benson was the next Bulldog to cross, timing in at 15:07.32. Frances Bernard was close behind (17th, 15:16.41) as was Rachel Wooten (22nd, 15:33.30) and Marie Demedicis (31st, 15:56.21). Their five finishes gave Samford a team total of 83 points, just four points ahead of third-place Southern Mississippi. Rounding out the rest of Samford's competitors were Margaret Grogan (40th, 16:21.14), Anna Laura Irvine (42nd, 16:28.34) and Chelsea Treadway (43rd, 16:30.40).
For the second-straight week, newcomers Luke Weishaar and Brandon Hazouri earned top ten finishes as they placed back-to-back in ninth (19:39.19) and tenth (19:44.00), respectively. Fellow freshmen Adam Jones (14th, 20:06.76) and Steven Crain (24th, 20:50.96) were the next Bulldogs across, followed shortly after by James Graham (27th, 21:06.41), Layton Dorsett (28th, 21:13.58) and Nicholas Cork (38th, 22:08.09).
Samford's next meet will be the Citadel Pre-Conference meet, taking place on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Charleston, S.C.
The Citadel - Men Take Second, Women Third at the College of Charleston Invitational
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel men's and women's cross country teams took second and third place, respectively, at the College of Charleston Invitational on Friday evening at Trophy Lakes on Johns Island. Senior Kyle Keene nabbed second place while Danielle McKee finished in fourth place.
In damp conditions, Keene took second place with an impressive time of 26:23 in the men's 8k course. Raeven Lantz and Atom Young also posted top-10 times as Lantz finished sixth with a mark of 27:53 and Young took ninth with a time of 28:24.
Also competing for the men's team was Jordan Ashley (11th place, 28:43), John Gatewood (13th place, 28:58), Miles Keohane (14th place, 29:02) and Bo Hutchinson (15th place, 29:06).
On the women's side, McKee continues to lead the Bulldog women as the junior has now finished first among her teammates in all 14 races of her collegiate career. The Fayeteville, N.C., native took fifth overall this evening with a time of 19:13.
Following behind McKee was freshman Jacqueline Thompson (9th place, 19:47) who has now recorded two top-10 finishes and two sub 20-minute 5k's in her two collegiate races.
Also running on the women's side was Micah Wessinger (15th place, 20:35), Christina Shonbeck (18th place, 20:52), Jessica Dewitte (20th place, 21:08), Emily Fields (21st place, 21:13) and Nicole Ogilbee (22nd place, 21:14).
Crosstown conference rival College of Charleston took the team and individual crowns in both the men's and women's races.
The Bulldogs will have a few weeks off before hosting the Bulldog Invitational on Sept. 29 at Laurel Hill Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The course will serve as the site for the Will Wilson Citadel Invitational on Oct. 13 and the Southern Conference Championship on Oct. 27.
College of Charleston - Men, Women take First Place at College of Charleston Invitational
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Led by first-place individuals finishes from sophomore Mackenzie Johnston and Hayley McMahon the College of Charleston cross country men's and women's teams each captured the team title at the College of Charleston Invitational Friday at Trophy Lakes on Johns Island.
On the women's side the Cougars put four runners in the top 10, led by McMahon's victory in a time of 18:20 for the 5K race. Freshman Emily Sanders (6th place, 19:19) and Kornelia Kostka (7th place, 19:34) were the next two finishers for the Cougars. Sophomore Danielle Sams finished 8th in 19:47. Sophomore Patricia Rein rounded out the scoring for the Cougars with an 11th place finish in 20:12.
The women's team won the team title with 32 points, beating out Charleston Southern, who finished with 43 points.
On the men's side all six of the CofC runners finished in the top 12, led by Johnston in 26:10 for the 8K race. Sophomore Adam Seften finished third in 26:43 and senior Manning Miller finished 6th in 27:34. Freshman Alex Couch finished 8th in 28:15. Junior Alex Boccard rounded out the scoring with a 10th place finish.
The men's team won the team title with 27 points, beating out the Citadel, who finished with 41 points.
Up next the Cougars travel to Rock Hill, S.C. for the Winthrop Invitational Sept. 15.