Both Bucs Teams Claim 3rd at Covered Bridge
BOONE, N.C. – Each of ETSU’s cross country teams finished 3rd in the season-opening Covered Bridge Open, Friday at the Don Kennedy Trails in Boone, N.C.
The men’s team totaled 68 points to finish behind Florida State – ranked 4th in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association’s pre-season South Region poll – and the host school, Appalachian State.
The women’s team ended with 102 points, likewise finishing behind the Seminoles and Mountaineers. Ten teams ran in the men’s meet, nine in the women’s.
Sophomore Ben Varghese (Kingsport, Tenn.) was the Bucs’ top individual, coming home 3rd in the men’s 8K in 25:22.60. Junior Adam Bradtmueller (Sarasota, Fla.) was 10th among attached runners at 25:55.44. Freshman Josh Krafsur (Fort Collins, Colo.) was 16th in the scoring in his collegiate debut, crossing the line in 18th place at 26:07.66.
In the women’s 5K, sophomore Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville, Tenn.) was the Bucs’ top finisher, ending up 16th in the scoring with a time of 18:14.79. Freshman Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) was 19th in 18:40.05; fellow freshman Shila Kapaya (Knoxville, Tenn.) claimed the 21st scoring spot with a run of 18:52.99. Sophomore Makayla Shaw (Jonesborough, Tenn.) was 24th in 19:05.13. Read More.
Cross Country Kicks Off the 2018 Season at the Elon University Opener
BURLINGTON, N.C. – UNCG cross country kicked off its 2018 season at the Elon University Opener on Friday night. The women finished third in a 4K, and the men came in fourth on a 6K course.
High Point took first place on the women’s side followed by Campbell. The host school Elon and Duke were behind UNCG for fourth and fifth place. North Carolina A&T, Meredith and North Carolina Central finished in the bottom three slots.
Campbell secured first on the men’s side. Duke and High Point were the other two schools to finish ahead of the Spartans. Just like on the women’s side, Elon came in right behind UNCG followed by North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.
Taylor Delaney led the Spartans, and Kaitlyn Stone recorded the Spartans’ next top finish. Ariana Garcia and the freshmen duo of Chandler McCaslin and Kathryn Anderson rounded out the top-five for UNCG. Juan Rodriguez paced the Blue and Gold in the 6K on the men’s side. Three freshmen followed in Thomas Knepshield, Colin Alexander and Cameron Belk. Luke Sumerford wrapped up the top-five. Read More.
Wofford Cross Country Opens 2018 Season
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2018 season on Friday night at the 35th Eye Opener Invitational at the Roger Milliken Research Center. The women were third and the men finished fourth overall among NCAA Division I teams.
In the women's 5K race, senior Jamie Barnett led the Terriers with a time of 19:50.0 to place 14th overall. Sommer McKenzie was 19th in 29:09.03 and Shannon McAndrew was 20th at 29:13.8. Rebeka Fadgyas, Anna Lyles, Mia Girardi, Mary Stewart Wilson, Whitley Elsass, Anastasia Burroughs, and Ashley McCreary also competed for the Terriers.
The men's 8K competition followed and junior Jack Zemp was 13th overall in 27:25.2. Cisco Ferre was 21st overall at 27:52.2 and Ford McCoy took 34th place in 28:46.6. Ben Boatwright, Jack Moody, Josh Hendry, Walker Gibbs, Dane Szalwinski and Nick Butler rounded out the Terrier squad. Read More.
Furman Cross Country Teams Claim Third-Straight Eye Opener Invitational Titles
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Furman cross country teams opened the 2018 season Friday with their third-consecutive Eye Opener Invitational titles at the Milliken Research Center in Spartanburg, S.C. The Paladin men scored 15 points in the victory, while the Paladin women tallied 17 points for the win.
Furman runners took the top six spots in the men's 8K race, en route to the perfect score. Sophomore Daniel Bernal won the individual title with a time of 25:36.7, and rookie Cameron Ponder posted a time of 25:46.3 for second place in his collegiate debut. Junior Mason Coppi placed third with a time of 25:52.0, followed by junior Jake Ogden in fourth at 26:03.2. Junior Allen Clark finished fifth at 26:12.6 to complete the Paladin scorers, and sophomore Trent Mandato placed sixth with a time of 26:24.1.
Junior Madison Daniel and sophomore Luke Meade placed eighth and ninth, respectively. Daniel crossed the line in 26:57.2, followed by Meade at 26:58.7. Junior Thomas Moore finished 38th with a time of 29:03.7, and junior Patrick McNamara was 39th at 29:07.8
The Paladin women claimed seven of the top nine spots on the 5K course, with junior Gabbi Jennings winning the individual championship with a time of 17:53.3, followed by junior Riley Burr in second at 18:13.0. Junior Emma Grace Hurley rounded out the top three with a time of 18:24.9. Junior Jennifer Stephenson finished sixth at 18:52.9, and sophomore Emily Lane was seventh with a time of 18:55.0 to round out the Furman scorers.
Freshman Annika Sleenhof placed eighth with a time of 1:56.5, followed by rookie Emma Kuntz in ninth place at 19:16.0. Sophomore Reilly Caldwell turned in a time of 19:40.6 for 12th place, and freshman Kathleen Simms was 13th at 19:44.6. Read More.
Mercer Men Win Strut’s Season Opener 7K
OXFORD, Ala. – The Mercer men's cross country team won the Strut's Season Opener 7K event behind a trio of top-10 individual finishes at Choccolocco Park.
Mercer's women placed third out of a total of 16 teams in the 5K event, rounding out an impressive opening meet for the Bears.
Freshman Scotty McKenzie placed sixth in the men's 7K with a time of 16:00.00 and was followed closely by teammates Sean Parker (seventh, 16:01.10) and Vladi Zander-Velloso (ninth, 16:11.90). Seven men ran the event for Mercer, all of which finished inside the top 31 out of 114 runners. The Mercer men claimed first place with 49 points and finished 28 points ahead of second-place finisher Columbus State (77).
Mercer's women, who placed third behind Kennesaw State (46) and Troy (67) with 98 points, were led by three freshmen. Ashley McMahon (19:36.50), Hannah Corson (20:02.30) and Jerrica Hanson (20:09.40) finished sixth, seventh and 12th respectively in the 5K event. Read More.
Cross Country Opens Strong at Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Taking a conservative approach and resting several runners, the VMI cross country teams opened the 2018 season strong with solid finishes at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday night.
The women’s team placed fourth out of nine schools at the race with 106 points while the men’s team placed fifth of seven schools competing with 127 points. Virginia Tech won the women’s 4k race with 38 points while Liberty took the men’s 6k race with 29 points.
VMI women’s junior Logan Luckett paced the Keydets with a fifth-place overall finish in 15:04 and was followed by teammate Anna Armfield in eighth place in 15:11. Sara Belamarich (35th, 16:04), Emily Hattman (40th, 16:09) and Savanna Shupe (47th, 16:17) also earned team points in their respective finishes.
The men’s team was led by Davone Hernandez who placed 11th overall in 19:07 for eight team points. Carlos Fernandes finished a minute later in 43rd place clocking in at 20:22 before Walt Kitson arrived in 45th in 20:24 for 25 points. Jake Mazziotta (56th, 20:54) and Justin Adams (62nd, 21:05) also scored team points for the Keydets. Read More.