Photo by: Southern ConferenceMt. Pleasant, S.C. - Senior captain Kyle Keene finished in the top spot in the men's 8k race on Saturday morning at the new Laurel Hill Plantation course as the Bulldog men took first place overall while the women nabbed second.
Keene posted a time of 25:53, 35 seconds ahead of second place finisher Tyre Hines from Charleston Southern, to take the individual crown. Pacing Keene in the 8k race for the Bulldogs was Austin Waldrop (6th place, 26:57), Atom Young (7th, 27:15), Raeven Lantz (8th, 27:15) and Miles Keohane (12th, 28:16).
Danielle McKee took second place overall in the women's 5k with a time of 19:06. The junior has now led the Bulldogs in each of her 15 career races. Following McKee was freshman Jacqueline Thompson who recorded an impressive mark of 20:09 to take fifth place. Jessica DeWitte (8th, 20:49), Caillian Colquitt (10th, 20:52) and Christina Shonbeck 11th, 21:04) rounded out the top five for The Citadel.
The Bulldogs will head to Orlando, Fla., next Saturday, Oct. 6, to compete in the Disney Classic on the campus of ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex.
Appalachian State Women's Cross Country 2nd; Men's Cross Country 4th in Charlotte Invitational
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's cross country team finished second overall in the 6,000m event, defeating all nine Southern Conference opponents in the 49er Invite.
Senior Amanda Hamilton led the Mountaineers for the third time this season as she crossed the finish line ninth overall and first for the Apps. Junior Justine Stocks picked up a second place finish for the Apps, crossing the line at 22:20.27.
Kaitlyn Cagle finished third for the second straight meet for Appalachian, while Sarah Williamson followed close behind coming in fourth for the Mountaineers.
Clemson took home a first place finish on the afternoon, as App State came in second with 106 points and Richmond finished third with 137 points in the 33 team field.
The Apps also captured the title of queen of the mountain in the 17th annual dual with Western Carolina. The Mountaineers have now earned the jug made of piece face pottery by Appalachian State alumni Bill Doxson 15-of-17 times.
Appalachian State men's cross country team finished fourth overall on the afternoon at the 49er Invite and fell second behind Davidson in Southern Conference teams that were in attendance this afternoon.
Senior Sean Soderman crossed the line first for the Mountaineers for the second straight meet as he placed 19th Michael Lilley followed Soderman across the line as he finished second for App State with a 25:09.20. overall, running a 25:03.25.
James Howard-Smith placed third, while Mitch McLeod finished fourth for Appalachian, respectively. As a squad Appalachian State's top five all finished under 26 minutes in the 8,000m event.
Virginia Tech took home a first place finish with 31 points, while Wake Forest finished with 80 points and SoCon foe Davidson took home a third place finish with 138 points. App State came in fourth with 149 points in the 35 team event.
The Apps also captured the title of king of the mountain in the 17th annual dual with Western Carolina. The Mountaineers have now earned the jug made of piece face pottery by Appalachian State alumni Bill Doxson 15-of-17 times.
Appalachian State will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 13 when they return to High Country for its final home meet of the 2012 campaign. The Blue Ridge Open is scheduled to start at 3p.m.
College of Charleston Women 19th, Men 23rd at Charlotte Invitational
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The College of Charleston men's and women's cross country teams competed on a hot day in Charlotte as the women finished 19th and the men 23rd out of about 40 teams in the 2012 Charlotte Cross Country Invitational.
Sophomore Hayley McMahon led the women's team in their first 6K race on the season as she finished 77th in 23:21.24, three seconds from the 10th best time in school history.
Freshman Emily Sanders was the second College of Charleston women's runner to finish the race as she crossed the line in 87th place in 23:30.65.
For the men's team sophomore Mackenzie Johnson led the way as he set a career-best in 25:57.35 and finished in 55th place for the 8K race. Fellow sophomore Adam Seften was the next CofC finisher as he ran 26:35.19 and finished in 89th place.
Up next the Cougars compete at the Will Wilson Invitational Oct. 13 in their final tune-up before the Southern Conference Championship.
Samford Women 4th, Men 10th at Charlotte Invitational
CHARLOTTE, N.C. ---- Samford cross country continued its season Friday at the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational, hosted by UNC-Charlotte. The women earned a stellar fourth-place finish out of 33 teams in the 4,000-meter race while the men also impressed with a tenth-place finish out of 35 teams in the 8,000 meters.
Lauren D'Alessio and Rachel Roberts earned top-ten finishes for the Bulldogs, with D'Alessio in fourth (21:19.01) and Roberts closely behind in sixth (21:34.56). Among the collegiate competitors, the two placed third and fifth overall, respectively. Rachel Wooten was the next across one minute later, finishing 31st in 22:36.08. Holly Benson (54th, 22:59.39) and Frances Bernard (65th, 23:06.56) were the final two team-point scorers for Samford and Marie Demedicis (78th, 23:17.15) and Margaret Grogan (130th, 24:38.61) wrapped up the Bulldogs' seven competitors.
On the men's side, Brandon Hazouri was the team's highest finisher coming in 53rd in 25:45.38. Luke Weishaar was close behind (56th, 25:49.71) with Steven Crain (86th, 26:13.55), James Graham (94th, 26:21.75) and Layton Dorsett (97th, 26:24.53) rounding out Samford's point-scorers. The Bulldogs' sixth and seventh competitors were Adam Jones (137th, 27:04.29) and Ramsey White (149th, 27:19.35).
The Bulldogs resume competition in two weeks at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 13. Events are set to begin at 8:30 a.m. CT.
Western Carolina Men 13th, Women 14th at Charlotte Invitational
Sophomore Jocelyn Keen ran the third fastest women's 6000m time in Western Carolina history to pace the Catamounts at the fourth annual Charlotte Invitational held at McAlpine Park on the campus of UNC Charlotte Friday afternoon. Keen ran a 22:29.59 to pace the WCU runners.
The time for Keen earned her a 26th place finish in the women's Gold Race. Six Catamounts represented the Purple and Gold in the Gold Race. The Catamount with the fastest ever 6000m time - Mara Smith - placed 47th overall with her time of 22:50.86. Aleshia Reese (70, 23:10.80) and Kaylan Lance (118, 24:11.28) were the next two to finish. Rounding out the women runners were Hayley Tomlinson (128, 24:36.80) and Michelle Provost (157, 25:30.42). As a team, the women finished 14th out of 33 total teams, with an average time of 23:27.86. Clemson led the field with SoCon rivals Appalachian State, Samford and Elon finishing second, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Davidson placed tenth for the day with College of Charleston placing 19th. Junior Nicole irving of Wake Forest was the top collegiate finisher with a time of 20:59.58.
Five more Catamounts competed in the women's Green 6k. Leading this group of runners was sophomore Lena Elliott. Elliott placed 44th with a time of 25:22.94. Elliott was the only non-freshman WCU runner in this group. Classmates Mackenzie Jensen and Sarah Spanbauer finished 56th and 58th, respectively, with their times of 26:41.02 and 27:10.84. The final two runners were Holly Gaines (69, 29:00.74) and Stephanie Burris (71, 29:28.15).
In the men's 8k Gold Race, Josey Weaver again paced the male runners, finishing 31st overall with his time of 25:16.39. Weaver has led WCU in all three meets this season. Teammate Travis Alfaro finished just behind Weaver in 33rd place finishing in 25:18.02. Nolan Clark ran a 25:43.09 to finish just outside of the top 50 in 51st. Seniors Chase Fisher (26:55.82) and Garrett West (27:33.05) placed 125th and 158th. The two Catamount freshmen to run in the Gold Race, Perry Cabean and Ryan Johnson, ran times of 27:51.11 and 28:06.52 to earn 171st and 180th.
The men finished 13th overall out of 35 teams, averaging the 8000m in 26:09.27. Virginia Tech won the men's event averaging 24:39.51 at McAlpine Park. Pardon Ndhlovu of UNC-Pembroke ran the fastest time, 24:20.72. Conference rivals Davidson (Third, 25:19.03), Appalachian State (Fourth, 25:23.59), Samford (Tenth, 26:06.98) and Elon (11th, 26:05.81) finished ahead of the Catamounts as WCU outran the College of Charleston who finished 23rd overall (27:12.43).
In the men's Green 8k, sophomore Aaron Harris led all Catamounts with his time of 28:16. Billy Simpson (29th) and Michael Cornwell (30th) ran 28:27 and 28:28. Classmates Cooper Wurst (28:52), Kaleel Barton (29:39) and Jamie Bigby (30:14) rounded out the WCU runners.
Friday's meet also served as a dual meet between rivals Western Carolina and Appalachian State for the "Battle of the Old Mountain Jug". Appalachian State retained the jug based on their performance Friday afternoon.
The Western Carolina cross country team will return to the Queen City, Charlotte, N.C., for the Royal Cross Country Challenge on Friday, Oct. 12. Results from the meet can be found at CatamountSports.com.
Elon Women 5th, Men 11th at Charlotte Invitational
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Elon cross country programs competed in the fourth annual Charlotte Invitational on Friday evening, Sept. 28. The women's team, paced by sophomore Haylee Dawe, finished in fifth while the men's team, led by fellow sophomore Luis Vargas, came in 11th at the course at McAlpine Park.
Dawe ran a personal-best time of 22:16.42, which now ranks fourth on the all-time program list. The Charlotte native came across the line in 17th place out 233 competitors at the meet on the women's side as the Phoenix had a team score of 177. Sophomore Tereza Novotna also broke into the record books with a personal-best time of 22:23.73 owning the eighth best mark in the program after finishing 21st overall.
Elyse Bierut (22:48.58, 45th), Christine Pacewicz (22:54.37, 50th), Emily Tryon (23:01.43, 57th) all finished in the top-50 at the meet. Kaitlin Snapp and Allyson Oram rounded out the team scores in the Gold race with times of 23:24.49 and 23:27.74 respectively.
On the men's side, Vargas was the team's top runner for the second straight race with a time of 25:15.09 to finish in 30th place. Teammate Ari Rothschild was the next to cross the line for the maroon and gold in 70th and a time of 25:59.05. Junior Ben Perron ran a time of 26:11.83 followed by James Stevenson at a mark of 26:25.20.
Adam Bernstein crossed the line with a time of 26:37.88 followed by Ranley Gousse and Connor Mercurio with marks of 27:09.81 and 27:15.43 respectively.
The maroon and gold returns to the course in two weeks on October 12 at the Royal Cross Country Challenge. That meet will be held in Charlotte, N.C.
Chattanooga Men 19th at Greater Louisville Classic
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Nathan Wanuch (Mississauga, Ontario) placed second in the men's Blue Race at the 11th annual Greater Louisville Classic Saturday morning at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.
The event features teams from 115 colleges and universities and is deemed the largest collegiate meet this year. The course will be the site of the 2012 Pre-Nationals and NCAA National Championships later this season.
Wanuch ran the men's 8K course in a time of 24:46.41, just three seconds behind Northern Kentucky's J.J. Webber.
Wanuch led the Mocs to a 19th place finish with teammate Paul Stuart, a freshman from Brentwood, Tenn., coming across the finish line second for Chattanooga with a time of 25:58.17.
Freshman Trevor Janssen was the third UTC runner across the line with a time of 26:42.13 in the 148th position followed by sophomore Drew Austell (Memphis, Tenn.) at 180 and John Gilpin at 188 in the race featuring 362 runners and nearly 50 teams.
Sophomore Amanda Sumner placed 18th for the Lady Mocs who lost a runner during the race and did not score in the team standings.
Senior Kathryn Stuart was running second for the Lady Mocs alongside freshman Teghan Henderson, but stepped in a hole and had to pull from the race.
Henderson was the second Chattanooga runner across the line placing 24th overall with a time of 18:26.10. Sophomore Keeley Stewart has stepped up her running this season and was 95th overall with a time of 19:13.72. Freshman Helenka Kis was the final UTC runner to finish in the race featuring 337 runners and 45 teams.
The Running Mocs will return to action in two weeks at the annual Front Runner Invitational on their home course at the Moccasin Bend Race Course. The women's 2-mile is slated to start at 3 p.m. with the men's 5K to follow.
Georgia Southern 3rd at Bulldog Invitational
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Sara Curry ran the Bulldog Invitational 5K in 18:55.59 to place first and lead the Georgia Southern cross country team to a third-place finish Saturday morning.
Lindsay Mullican finished the race in 20:49.08 to place ninth, and Jami Joyner was 12th with a time of 21:04.30. Asea Mayfield finished 13th with a time of 21:15.23, and Kristiana Towns was 25th, finishing the race in 22:52.38. Amanda Ventre placed 29th with a time of 23:13.23, and Alexandra Langmo placed 42nd with a time of 25:20.80.
Georgia Southern returns to action at the Jaguar Invitational next Friday.
Wofford Women 1st, Men 2nd at UNC Asheville Invitational
SWANNANOA, N.C. - The Wofford women's cross country team won the UNC Asheville Invitational, while the men's team took second Saturday morning.
Nicole Klasnic turned in the fifth fastest time in Wofford school history and a new personal best as she took third place with a time of 18:41.50 to lead the Terriers. Alissa Williams followed in fifth place with a time of 18:51.71, while Alyssa Burkert finished in sixth place while a time of 18:55.93. Sam Hughes followed with a 19:02.21 in seventh place, and Marella Angello was the last Wofford runner to score with a time of 19:09.84 in ninth place.
On the men's side, Ryan Doyle took second with the eighth fastest time in Terrier history as he crossed the finish line in 26:18.99. Alex Michaels followed with a 27:37.04 in 11th place, while Matt Menard finished 12th with a time of 27:40.99. Russell Baker finished two spots back in 15th with a time of 27:42.32, and Justin Whitaker was the final Terrier to score with a time of 28:04.47 in 16th place.
Wofford will compete in the Blue Ridge Open for its next meet on October 12.
Davidson Men 3rd, Women 10th at Charlotte Invitational
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Led by senior Vincent Weir, the Davidson men's cross country team bested three teams ranked in the Southeast region en route to a third place finish at the Charlotte Invitational hosted by UNC Charlotte in McAlpine Park.
Weir completed the 8K course in 24:56.73 to place 17th and was immediately followed by classmate Demetrios Pagonis (24:59.68) in 18th. Wes Reynolds placed 22nd in 25:08.53, while sophomore Sal del Giudice (42nd place, 25:34.36) and freshman Daniel Samet (64th, 25:55.85) rounded out the 'Cats' top-five scoring group
The Wildcats bested Appalachian State (No. 12), )Richmond (No. 11), and High Point (No. 14) teams that were all ranked in the Top 15 of the Southeast region in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings.
In addition to ASU, SoCon members Samford (tenth place), Elon (11th place) and Western Carolina (13th place) also competed in the "gold race."
Six 'Cats also competed in the "green" race, taking fourth place with 86 points. They averaged a time of 27:11.
Grayam Sailor-Tynes led the way with an eighth place finish in a time of 26:09, while Wesley Laytham was 12th in 26:27. Chris Repecki was 19th, clocking in at 27:37; with Will Mitchell and Jamie Durling taking 23rd and 24th placed, respectively. Mitchell Crossed the line in 27:50 while Durling ran a 27:51. Patrick Rollo rounded things out in 25th place in 27:59.
Davidson's top runners will next compete at the NCAA Division I Pre-Nationals hosted by the University of Louisville on Oct. 13. Select runners will return to McAlpine Park Friday, Oct. 12 to compete in the Royal Cross Country Challenge hosted by Queens University. The park is also the site of the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regional.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Presley Parkes paced the way as the Davidson women's cross country team placed tenth in the "gold" race and seventh in the "green" race at the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational held at McAlpine Park.
The 'Cats finished with 287 points and an average time of 23:03.22 in the "gold" race. Clemson took first at the event (83 points), while Appalachian State was second (106 points). Richmond grabbed third place with 137 points.
Parkes was the 'Cats top finisher for the second time in three meets, running a 22:24.66. She took 20th place, while Erin Osment was close behind in 28th place. She crossed the finish line in 22:35.73.
Manya Swick ran a 23:03.27 to take 56th place, while Brigid Behrens clocked in at 23:35.60 for 91st place. Natalie Atabek was next in 92nd with a time of 23:36.86 while Olivia Menden rounded things out with a time of 23:46.51 for 98th place.
In the "green" race, the Wildcats finished with an average time of 24:35.35 for 150 points. South Carolina led the way in that event, taking first with 46 points. Appalachian State was second (51 points) and Richmond was third (64 points).
Mary Dombrowski led the 'Cats with a 23:45.70, taking 13th overall. Anna Armstead clocked in at 24:09.34 for 21st place, while Lauren Carter was 33rd in a time of 24:45.50.
In 41st place was Maggie Rickard with a time of 25:04.68, while Ali Cobb was right behind her in 42nd with a 25:11.57. Sarah Paddon and Sophia Smith took 48th and 50th, respectively. Paddon ran a 26:02.27, while Smith crossed the line in 26:16.53.
The Wildcats will return to McAlpine Park on October 12 for the Royal Cross Country Challenge. The site will also host the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regional meet later this season.
UNCG Men 14th, Women 29th at Greater Louisville Classic
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Junior Paul Chelimo and sophomore Paul Katam both recorded top 10 finishes in 2012 debuts Saturday morning to lead the UNCG men's cross country team to a 14th place finish in the ultra-competitive Greater Louisville Classic at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The race field featured two top-10 teams and the defending individual NCAA cross country champion.
Chelimo posted a new school record and a career-best time of 22:59.37 in the 8,000-meter race to finish third overall, trailing the Arizona duo of Lawi Lalang and Stephen Sambu. The three runners broke away from the pack after the first mile and it became clear it would be a three person race for the finish line as the fourth place finisher was over 42 seconds off the pace.
Lalang, the defending NCAA cross country champion, won the race with a time of 22:33.57 while Sambu, the NCAA runner-up in 2010, placed second in a time of 22:36.37. Chelimo's time of 22:59.62 bests his previous top mark at 8,000-meters by over 12 seconds (23:11.56 at Southern Conference Championships) and he now owns the top four times in school history.
Katam made his debut Saturday with a seventh place finish in the race, posting a time of 24:00.90. His time ranks eighth all-time in program history and is just over a second off his personal best which was set last year at the SoCon Championships (23:59.80).
UNCG finished 14th as a team with a total score of 427 in the 31-team field. Eighth-ranked Iona won the event with a score of 47 as the Gaels had three runners in the top six and seven in the top 60. Columbia was second with a 110 while Georgia posted a 143 to round out the top three.
Junior Abraham Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya/Eldoret) finished 90th in the race in a time of 25:11.13 while sophomore Dylan Belles (Denver, N.C./East Lincoln) placed 163rd in a time of personal-record time of 25:56.97. Belles' time surpassed his previous mark of 26:02 set earlier this season at the Elon Invitational.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Senior Chelsea Sumney finished in 40th place to lead the UNCG women's cross country team to a 29th place finish at the competitive Greater Louisville Classic at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park Saturday morning.
Sumney finished the 5,000-meter race in a time of 17:31.87 for her top time of the year. Arizona's Elvin Kibet won the women's race in a time of 16:51.71, with Kentucky's Cally Macumber placing second in a time of 16:66.14.
Junior Kelly Montague was the Spartans' second finisher, clocking a time of 18:52.15 to finish in 194th place. Freshman Lydia Saina posted a personal-best time of 19:20.30, surpassing her previous top time by 55 seconds from the Elon Invitational.
UNCG finished in 29th place with a score of 796, while Arizona won the team event with a sore of 71 as the Wildcats had four runners in the top 20 and seven in the top 70. Washington finished second with a sore of 80 while Michigan State and Arkansas rounded out the top three tying with a score of 135.
