Furman Men 4th; Women 24th At Pre-Nationals Cross Country Meet
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The 26th-ranked Furman men’s cross country team placed fourth and the Paladin women finished 24th at the Indiana State Pre-National Invitational Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind.
Forty-six men’s teams and 43 women’s teams, including eight men’s teams and six women’s teams ranked among the nation’s top 30, competed in the Blue Race. Each team in the races held a regional ranking entering Saturday’s competition.
Top-ranked Colorado won the men’s 8K meet with 38 points, and second-ranked Oregon finished second with 88 points. Georgetown placed third with 143 points, followed by the Paladins with 257 points.
Senior Tripp Hurt paced the Paladins, finishing 41st with a time of 24:56.8, while freshman Aaron Templeton was just behind Hurt, placing 43rd at 24:57.8. Rookie Mark Hadley turned in a time of 25:04.7 for 50th place, and sophomore Tanner Hinkle was 63rd with a time of 25:13.6. Rookie Frank Lara finished just behind Hinkle, placing 65th at 25:13.8, and just ahead of sophomore Troy Reeder who crossed the line in 25:15.2 to place 68th. Freshman Austin Sprague completed the Furman slate with a time of 25:55.7 for 169th place.
Fourth-ranked Georgetown claimed the women’s 6K title with 110 points over No. 3 Oregon, who placed second with 139 points. Top-ranked Michigan finished third with 143 points, and No. 7 Colorado took fourth place with 186 points. The Paladin women scored 633 points for 24th place.
Sophomore Allie Buchalski led the Paladin women, turning in a time of 21:42.9 for 60th place, and senior Sinead Haughey finished 65th at 21:45.4. Sophomore Grace Tinkey placed 117th with a time of 22:12.8, while fellow sophomore Laura Miller crossed the line in 22:35.6 for 180th place. Sophomore Julia Rodriguez placed 211th with a time of 22:49.9, followed immediately by freshman Emma Mashburn in 212th place (22:50.8). Sophomore Bryce Seymour finished 220th with a time of 22:56.3.
Following an off weekend next weekend, the Paladins will compete at the Southern Conference Championships on Oct. 31 in Greensboro, N.C.
Cotter, Gilpin Lead Mocs at Front Runner
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - On an ideal fall afternoon, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s and women’s cross country teams finished second behind Middle Tennessee at the annual Front Runner Invitational at the Moccasin Bend Race Course.
Senior Amanda Cotter led the women to a second place finish placing fourth overall with a time of 11:04.80 in the 2-mile race. She was followed in sixth by junior Rebecca Greenwall with a time of 11:11.39.
Sophomore Maddison Melchionna placed eighth for UTC with a time of 11:17.47 while sophomore Jessica York finished 10th (11:23.37) followed immediately by freshman Emily Drouin at 11:25.15 and Keeley Stewart at 11:32.25.
Middle Tennessee, led by overall winner Jackie Kiprono, won the event with 18 points followed by Chattanooga with 39 points. Southern Conference newcomer Mercer was third with 89 points just ahead of Lipscomb with 92 poitns and Tennessee State rounding out the teams with 150 points.
The Mocs men’s team also placed second led by senior John Gilpin. In eighth with a time of 15:29.74. Junior Trevor Janssen was the next runner across the line with a time of 16:02.90. Junior Patrick O’Brien placed 10th for UTC at 16:21.43 while senior Harry Smithers made a return to the course placing 11th with a time of 16:22.17.
Rounding out the scoring for UTC was junior Matthew Marshall in 13th with a time of 16:42.52. Also making a return for Chattanooga was junior Austin Cassasa placing 17th with a time of 16:54.27. Junior Marquis Carter finished the 5K race in a time of 17:02.58, shaving off more than a minute for the track runner.
Middle Tennessee swept the top six spots for the overall victory led by Shadrick Matelong with a time of 14:53.75. The Blue Raiders too first with 15 points with the Mocs second with 51 points. Lipscomb was third with 88 points followed by Auburn Montgomery with 127 points. Florida A&M was fifth (131) and Tennessee State, with 138 points, placed sixth.
The Mocs will next see action Friday, October 31 at the Southern Conference Championships to be hosted by UNCG in Greensboro, N.C.
UNCG Cross Country Competes in Pre National Invitational
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The UNCG men’s and women’s cross country team competed in the 2014 Pre National Invitational Saturday morning at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, home of the 2014 NCAA Championship Race, in Terre Haute, Ind.
On the women’s side, the Spartans finished 30th overall in the 6,000-meter White Race. Katlyn Ayers was the top finisher for the Blue and Gold, finishing 63rd overall with a time of 23:02.50. The time was a new personal best for the Fort Valley, Va. native.
Redshirt sophomore Eira Jensen finished close behind at 71st, with a time of 23.07.90. Amanda Branch finished the day at 25:33.20. Sophomore Samiiah Wilson completed the race in 26:36.30 and junior Meredith Hicks came in at 28:20.10.
On the men’s side, freshman Geoffrey Korir led the way, finishing 40th overall with a time of 25:55.50, for his first 8,000-meter race of his young career. Senior Brandon Cain finished the race at 27:28.10. Patrick O’Grady completed the race with a time of 27:39.40.
Freshman Bryan Whyms finished in 28:21.30 and classmate Luke Sumerford finished in 28:32.90, who also ran his first 8,000-meter race Saturday morning. The Spartans finished in 25th place as a team in the 8,000-meter White Race.
Next up, UNCG will host the 2014 Southern Conference Championships on October 31 at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, N.C.
Wofford Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Finish Fifth and Sixth in Cullowhee
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Wofford College men's and women's cross country teams finished fifth and sixth respectively at the Catamount Classic Friday.
Alissa Williams and Alex Michaels notched the best finishes for their respective squads, Williams running a 19:41.84 in the 5K for an 11th place finish, while Michaels took 21s t in the 8K with a time of 27:33.47.
Junior Ryan Doyle (27:49.72; 23), freshman Cristian Widenhouse (28:17.05; 27), and senior Hunter McGahee (28:24.08; 29) all earned top 30 finishes for the Terriers. Marella Angello (20:28.58) came in 24th for the women's team.
Sophomore Jonathan Rice, senior Justin Whitaker and freshman Ben Hensley also competed on the men's squad. Seniore Kiersten Ellsworth along with freshmen Anya Bunao, Halee Rogers, Sarah Spiro and Breck Peterson all competed for the women's team.
The Terriers compete again in two weeks in Greensboro, North Carolina, where the teams will compete in the SoCon Championships.