Bulldogs sweep Will Wilson Invitational
CHARLESTON, S.C. – It was an exciting day for the men’s and women’s cross country teams at James Island County Park on Saturday, with both teams taking first place in their respective races.
Michael Lantz earned first place among Division I competitors finishing in 27:18.82 with Ross Jordan close behind with a time of 27:40.09. Matthew Gill crossed the finish line at the 28:17.80 mark to give the Bulldogs the top three spots in the 8k race.
James Cunningham (28:37.50) and Grant Smith (29:13.44) rounded out the top five for The Citadel, taking seventh and eighth overall. Sophomore James Howlin finished with a time of 29:25.74 and William Sloane finished things off for the Bulldogs with a time of 20:56.36.
For the women, Grace Jenkins led The Citadel recording a time of 20:30.90 and finishing in second place overall. Emani Little (21:15.57) finished fourth, Jessica DeWitte (21:21.00) took fifth, Bethany Reeves (21:22.08) finished sixth and Elizabeth Webster (22:14.58) took eighth place overall. Shona Sulzbach (22:44.06) and Karen Grier (22:58.20) also finished for the Bulldogs, taking 10th and 12th place.
The Citadel men took first in the 8k with a score of 24, followed by Benedict with a score of 48. USC-Beaufort tallied an 86, Charleston Southern scored 88, Savannah State finished with 112 and Morris rounded out the competition with a score of 164.
In the women’s 5k the Bulldogs scored 25 and Charleston Southern finished in second with a score of 49. Savannah State tallied 75, Benedict came in fourth with an 84 and Morris finished with 123.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Oct. 3 when they travel to USC Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Furman men finish third; women ninth at Virginia Invitational
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. – The Furman men’s cross country team took third place while the Paladin women finished ninth versus highly ranked competition at the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.
The Paladins men scored 88 points, finishing behind ninth-ranked Virginia, who won the meet with 41 points, and Oklahoma, who placed second with 58 points. Yale finished fourth with 130 points, while Campbell rounded out the top five, tallying 166 points.
Junior Tanner Hinkle led all Paladin runners at the meet, placing ninth with a time of 24:13.9 on the men’s 8K course. Sophomore Frank Lara was 11th at 24:16.8, while juniors Troy Reeder and Josh Brickell finished back-to-back in 20th and 21st, with times of 24:27.2 and 24:27.7, respectively. Junior Kyle Polman completed the slate of Furman scorers in 31st place with a time of 24:47.1.
Sophomores Austin Sprague (24:47.4) and Mark Hadley (24:48.8) finished 31st and 32nd, followed closely by sophomore Aaron Templeton in 35th place at 24:54.1. Junior Lee Shearer crossed the line in 25:05.1 to place 42nd, and sophomore Matt Lange posted a time of 25:59.4, placing 76th.
The Paladin women scored 197 points on the 6K course. No. 16 Virginia won the meet with 30 points, while Mississippi State posted 83 points for second place. Auburn finished third with 106 points, with Yale taking fourth at 134 points, and Oklahoma completing the top five at 180 points.
Junior Allie Buchalski paced Furman, finishing tenth with a time of 17:23.5. Junior Laura Miller posted a time of 18:06.7 for 32nd place, and sophomore Jacquelyn Crow completed the race in 18:16.2 to claim 36th place. Junior Maddie Wolfe finished 57th (18:46.9), and sophomore Becca Cooley finished out the Paladin scorers in 73rd place with a time of 19:12.8. Cooley was immediately followed by sophomore Emma Mashburn in 74th with a time of 19:14.7. Junior Bryce Seymour recorded a time of 19:46.6 for 89th, and junior Ann Sisson placed 98th with a time of 20:05.2.
The Paladins will compete at the Gene Mullin Invitational in Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 10.
Samford women place fifth at Rhodes College Invitational
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Samford University men's and women's cross country teams traveled to race in the Rhodes College Invitational during the morning hours on Saturday.
With unfavorable course conditions the Bulldogs made the most of the event by working hard through adverse conditions.
The women tallied 136 points on their way to a fifth-place team finish in their first 6k event of the year while the men finished 10th in the standings with 256 points in their 8k race.
The trio of Emma Garner, Ansley Bos and Karisa Nelson placed 11th, 12th and 13th respectively to lead the women with times of 22:56.70, 22:56.75 and 22:59.68.
On the men's side it was Ben Bryant and Luke Weishaar who paced the team by going back-to-back with 25th and 26th place finishes. Bryant crossed the line at 26:50.70 while Weishaar finished closely behind with a time of 26:50.80.
Samford returns to action on Oct. 16, when they compete in the Crimson Classic hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.