Mercer Competes at Berry Invitational
Rome, Ga. - Behind a fourth-place individual finish by Ahmed Jama, the Mercer men's cross country team placed fifth overall at the Berry Invitational 8K on Saturday morning. The event was hosted by Berry College and featured 19 different men's programs.
Jama, who set Mercer's school record in the 8K two weeks ago, finished with a time of 25:48.03 to lead the Bears. He placed behind a pair of runners from Young Harris and one from Birmingham-Southern. Two other Mercer runners placed in the top-50: Michael Rowlands (43rd) with a time of 27:25.31 and Mac Power (50th) with a time of 27:36.46.
Eight more Bears finished the 8K event, including Mark Brannen, Abraham Balawi, Marc Reiser, Justin Hanson andSam Gelabert, all of which finished under the 29-minute mark.
Mercer's total team time was 2:16:55.95, finishing behind champion University of the South, runner-up and host Berry College, Emory and Jacksonville State.
The Bears will compete next at the Southern Conference Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Furman Competes at Pre-NCAA Invitational
Terre Haute, Ind. - The Furman men’s cross country team placed 11th and the Paladin women were 25th Saturday at the 2016 Pre-NCAA Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. The meet, which featured numerous powerhouses that finished among the elite at the 2015 NCAA Championships, served as a precursor for this year’s national championships.
Junior Frank Lara and senior Josh Brickell paced the Paladin men on the 8K course. Lara placed 20th with a time of 24:24.1, followed by Brickell in 21st place at 24:24.4. Sophomore Ryan Adams finished 60th with a time of 24:58.6, and rookie Jake Ogden clocked a time of 25:21.7 for 107th place. Senior Matt Lange, who posted a time of 25:39.9, was 149th, and junior Quintin McKinnish placed 177th at 25:50.4 Freshman Mason Coppi completed the Paladin lineup, finishing 191st with a time of 25:57.1.
Freshman Savannah Carnahan led the Paladin women on the 6K course, posting a time of 20:30.2 for 16th place. Rookie Gabrielle Jennings turned in a time of 21:19.5 to take 85th place, and freshman Emma Grace Hurley crossed the line in 21:52.2 to place 154th. Freshman Grace Dwyer placed 201st at 22:12.7, while rookie Riley Burr finished 204th with a time of 22:13.9. Rookie Jennifer Stephenson recorded a time of 22:37.0, taking 235th place, and senior Laura Miller placed 29th at 22:45.3.
The Paladins, winners of the past three SoCon meets, will defend their league titles at the Southern Conference Championships on October 29 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
UNCG Competes at Princeton Invitational
Princeton, N.J. - Katy Link earned her second consecutive top-25 finish Saturday morning when she guided the UNCG women’s cross country team to a 16th place finish overall at the Princeton XC Invitational.
Link placed 16th overall crossing the finish line in 21:54.1 on the 6,000-meter Princeton XC Course. Freshman Taylor Delaney was the second Spartan to finish, clocking a 22:28.1, and finishing 43rd overall.
Kaitlyn Stone was third for UNCG finishing in 23:36.1 while Katlyn Adkins and Kelsey Barrett finished fourth and fifth for the Spartans.
On the men’s side, William Sandin was the top finisher for UNCG clocking a 25:36.0 on the 8,000-meter course. Less than a second behind him was teammate Bryan Whyms who finished just outside the top-100.
Brandon King and Dakarai Shipp were the next two Spartans to cross the finish line while Luke Sumerford was the fifth member of the men’s squad to finish.
As a unit, the men finished 19th overall with a team average of 25:53.5.
Next up for the Spartans Is the Southern Conference Championships October 29 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Last season, the women finished third overall while Kathleen Mansure earned SoCon Freshman of the Year honors while the men placed fifth overall
Chattanooga Hosts Front Runner Invitational
Chattanooga, Tenn - The weather was dry and warm with a strong breeze on a bright sunny day as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cross country teams christened their new home course Saturday afternoon at the annual Front Runner Invitational. Both Mocs teams finished second in the race.
Junior Maddison Melchionna and senior Paul Stuart were the top finishers for UTC while both teams placed second behind strong Middle Tennessee teams.
Melchionna finished the women’s 5K in a time of 18:40.82, placing eighth in the women’s Division I race. Senior Jessica York was the second UTC runner across the line, leading a group of four with a time of 19:02.32 in 10th. She was followed by sophomore Biranna Nelson in the 11th position with a time of 19:03.24. Junior Anna Kate Chance was next at 19:03.64 with junior Hannah Chamblin 13th in a time of 19:04.98.
Freshman Kennedy Thomson placed 18th overall with a time of 19:19.37 and freshman Haley Morris covered the course in a time of 19:26.29.
In the men’s race, Stuart finished ninth overall in a time of 26:05.87 and was the first of five UTC runners. Junior Brennan Huber, who ran the race in pace with Stuart, was 10th with a time of 26:10.65.
Freshman Nathan Watson was right behind in a time of 26:14.17 followed by sophomores John Payne in a time of 26:22.24 and Richard Guiry at 26:33.99. Senior Austin Casassa covered the 8-kilometer course in a time of 26:55.30 and sophomore Mark Britt was 17th overall at 27:08.12.
Middle Tennessee’s men and women each won their races. The women took four of the Top Five spots and five of seven for 18 points. Blue Raider Hannah Maina was the overall winner with a time of 18:12.67.
The Mocs tallied 54 points for second followed by Georgia State with 71 for third. Winthrop took fourth with 94 points and Presbyterian was fifth with 134 points. Dalton State was the only non-Division I team in the race and was led by Emily Poole who placed sixth overall with a time of 18:26.34.
On the men’s side, swept the event, claiming the top six spots and grabbling eighth as well. Kigen Chemadi was the first of the top four to step across the line as they held hands and finished together, with a time of 25:03.99.
Chattanooga was second with 55 points followed by Winthrop with 76 and Presbyterian with 110 for fourth. Dalton State’s top finisher was Ryan Gebelein, placing 20th overall in a time of 27:35.92.