Catamount Cross Country Shines at Asheville Carnival
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Senior Travis Alfaro led the Western Carolina men's cross country team to a second place finish at the 2014 Asheville Cross Country Carnival hosted by UNC Asheville. The men's field featured 12 teams including the University of Alabama, UNC Asheville, Marshall, Mercer and Wofford. The women placed fifth in the event while battling 10 teams including Alabama, UNCA, Mercer, Marshall and Wofford.
The men placed three runners in the top-15 including Alfaro who finished the 8k course fourth overall with a time of 25:23.99, redshirt sophomore Clay Howarth who came across ninth with a time of 25:39.95 and sophomore JC Cornett who clocked in at 25:47.91 good for 13th.
The men's field featured 90 runners from 12 different universities. WCU's final two "scorers" finished among the top 30 with redshirt junior Michael Cornwell placing 26th with a time of 26:29.91 and freshman Crisman Jones crossing the line in 26:35.93 which was good for 30th.
Alabama took home the team trophy with a total of 19 points. Western Carolina placed second with 75 points while UNC Asheville rounded out the top three with 101 points. Southern Conference members Mercer and Wofford placed fifth and eighth, respectively.
Tommy Connell (33rd, 26:47.25), Jamie Bigby (42nd, 27:34.03), Cooper Wurst (47th, 27:41.59) and Kaleel Barton (71st, 29:32.19) rounded out WCU's men entrants in the event.
The women battled 10 teams in a field that featured 103 runners. Senior Michelle Provost led the Catamounts with a 19th place finish in the 5k event with a time of 19:08.34. Classmate Aleshia Reese came across in 19:23.29 good for 28th overall. Rounding out the Catamount's top three was redshirt freshman Laney Browder who finished 30th in 19:30.81.
WCU's final two "scorers" were redshirt freshman Katarina Ruehl and freshman Madison Goode who placed 42nd and 49th, respectively. Ruehl turned in a time of 20:07.79 while Goode ran the course in 20:11.93.
Alabama won the team event with a score of 16 while UNCA finished second with 68 points and Queens placed third with 135 points. Finishing just ahead of WCU was Mercer with 135 points. The Catamounts totaled up 142 points. WCU defeated conference member Wofford while also taking down Division I programs Marshall and Charleston Southern.
Kaitlyn Shetler (56th, 20:18.29), Ashley Taylor (57th, 20:21.12), Rachel Johnson (67th, 20:38.45), Lena Elliott (77th, 21:07.42), Michaela Williams (84th, 21:25.81) and Samantha Cook (87th, 22:18.06) rounded out WCU's women entrants.
The cross country teams will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 4, at the USC Upstate Invitational.
Mercer Women Take Fourth, Men Fifth at Asheville Cross Country Carnival
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Led by a fifth place finish from junior Kami Orrender, the Mercer women's cross country team had a strong showing at the UNC-Asheville Cross Country Carnival Saturday morning. The Bears took fourth, placing six other runners in addition to Orrender in the top-50 of the 103 individual field.
Orrender led the way for Mercer (18:08.14) in the 5k race. Other finishes included junior Jenna Gipperich in 26th (19:20.29), freshman Courtney Czerniak in 40th (20:05.10), sophomore Katie-Rose Alligood in 45th (20:08.84), freshman Keightley Dudgeon in 47th (20:10.54), sophomore Victoria Rogers in 48th (20:11.07), and freshman Cheyenne Andrew in 50th (20:12.27).
Mercer's average time of 19:34.59 left them only seven seconds per runner out of third place. Nationally ranked Alabama placed runner in each of the top four positions and won the race with an average time of 17:57.95.
Mercer men's cross country finished fifth at the UNC-Asheville hosted Cross Country Carnival Saturday Morning. A top ten finish by junior Victor Kosgei led the Bears, while four other runners earned top-50 spots in field of 90.
Kosgei finished in tenth place (25:43.52) in the 8k race to pace the Bears. Senior Austin Pfeifer finished 27th (26:35.21), Senior Davis Trexler placed 37th (27:05.41), Senior Jeff Law was 46th (27:40.21) and Freshman Andrew Anastasiades finished 50th (27:57.66) to round out the top five for Mercer.
The team's fifth place finish stemmed from a team average of 27:00.41 per runner, only 33 seconds shy of fourth place and one minute out of second place. Nationally ranked Alabama won the event with an average time of 25:17.81.
The Bears will next be in action October 4 at the Greater Louisville Classic hosted by Louisville.
Wofford's Doyle, Williams Finish Top for Terriers in Asheville Carnival
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Wofford College junior Ryan Doyle and senior Alissa Williams posted team best times for the men’s and women’s cross country teams respectively on Saturday afternoon at the Asheville Carnival, hosted by the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Doyle finished 24th with a time of 26:21.40 for the men’s team in the 8K, while Williams posted a 19:41.28, good for 32nd in the women’s 5K. The Terrier men would secure and eight place finish as a team, while the women came in ninth in the second season meet for both teams.
The University of Alabama swept the meet, taking first in both men’s 8K and the women’s 5K. Sophomore Robbie Farnham-Rose took first in the men’s race with a 25:04.98 finish, while the Crimson Tide’s junior Katelyn Greenleaf won the women’s race, finishing with a time of 17:44.46
Junior Alex Michaels and freshman Cristian Widenhouse rounded out the Wofford men’s top three finishes. Michaels posted a 26:48.15 time for a 34th place finish, while Widenhouse finished 40th with a time of 27:20.23. Senior Justin Whitaker and freshman Ben Hensley also ran for the Terriers.
Freshmen Anya Bunao and Chandler Washburn finished second and third, respectively, among Wofford’s female participants. Bunao finished 58th with a time of 20:22.81, while Washburn crossed the line three seconds later for 60th. Others racing included seniors Kiersten Ellsworth, Stacey Mangan and freshmen Sarah Spiro, Halee Rogers, Breck Peterson and Alexandra Christopoulos.
The Terriers race next on Friday, September 26. The teams will head to Charlotte, N.C. where they will compete in the Charlotte 49ers Invitational.