SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Appalachian State’s James Howard-Smith has been named the Southern Conference men’s cross country runner of the week for his performance during the weekend of Aug. 30-Sept. 1, the league office announced Wednesday.

In his first race of the 2013 season, Howard-Smith covered the 8k Don Kennedy Course in 25:45 to finish third at the Covered Bridge Open on Friday.

The senior geography major from Charlottesville, Va., led the Mountaineers to a second-place finish out of six teams, trailing only No. 21 Florida State.

The Mountaineers cross country team returns to action Sept. 14 at the UNC Asheville Invitational.