CHATTANOOGA, TN – With two Top 10 finishers for the first time ever at a conference championship, UNC Greensboro finished third on the men’s side to go along with a ninth place finish on the women’s side at the 2006 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships held at Moccasin Bend on Saturday.
The third place finish on the men’s side was UNCG’s highest-ever place at the Southern Conference Championship. UNCG placed fourth in 2004 for its previous best. UNCG was fifth at last year’s meet.
UNCG’s Josh Wyatt and Nicolas Vaccaro earned all-SoCon honors by placing in the Top 10. Wyatt crossed the line with a time of 25:32.53, while Vaccaro completed the 8000-meter course in 25:38.19. It marked the first time in school history that two Spartans earned all-conference honors in the sport of men’s cross country.
On the women’s side, UNCG was led by Jess Weber in 39th place with a time of 19:16.44. Sherrika Jordan ran a personal best time of 19:19.13 to finish in 42nd place. She trimmed more than a minute off of her previous best mark.
Appalachian State, led by individual champion Phil Mitchell, won the men’s team championship, while Chattanooga edged Appalachian State by one point for the women’s team championship. Chattanooga’s Lanni Marchant won the individual title.
AGATE
MEN’S TEAM SCORES: Appalachian State 51, Furman 70, UNC Greensboro 94, Davidson 104, Chattanooga 121, The Citadel 164, Elon 174, College of Charleston 175, Western Carolina 207, Wofford 289.
TOP 10: 1. Phil Mitchell (Appalachian State) 25:17.19, 2. Patrick Morgan (Furman) 25:22.57, 3. Lance Harden (Davidson) 25:24.39, 4. Tim Clark (Chattanooga) 25:31.49, 5. Josh Wyatt (UNC Greensboro) 25:32.53, 6. Dan Fassinger (Western Carolina) 25:34.26, 7. Eric Albrecht (Furman) 25:36.60, 8. Nicolas Vaccaro (UNC Greensboro) 25:38.19, 9. Ryan O’Keefe (Appalachian State) 25:41.36, 10. Nathan Hernandez-Adams (Appalachian State) 25:44.63.
OTHER UNCG RUNNERS: 17. Xavier Rutz 26:05.85, 20. Keith Gruchacz 26:08.67, 45. Ryan Rodd 27:31.86, 47. Terry Wyatt 27:39.87, 49. Justin Ruppe 27:44.72, 72. Lincoln Bennett 29:18.62.
WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES: Chattanooga 43, Appalachian State 44, Davidson 53, Elon 124, Furman 138, Western Carolina 241, The Citadel 247, UNC Greensboro 264, Georgia Southern 276, Wofford 282.
TOP 10: 1. Lanni Marchant (Chattanooga) 17:01.17, 2. Jenna Wrieden (Appalachian State) 17:24.10, 3. Brenna Burns (Davidson) 17:39.33, 4. Meghan Gaffney (Appalachian State) 17:40.72, 5. Kasey Smith (Appalachian State) 17:42.46, 6. Sabrina LeFort (Chattanooga) 17:44.38, 7. Megal Atias (Davidson) 17:50.22, 8. Katie Williams (Chattanooga) 17:56.06, 9. Caitlin Beeler (Elon) 17:59.47, 10. Caroline Sanker (Davidson) 18:02.18.
OTHER UNCG RUNNERS: 39. Jess Weber 19:16.44, 42. Sherrika Jordan 19:19.13, 51. Tessa Dispennette 19:39.02, 72. Carly Magin 20:52.01, 83. Stephanie Maltais 21:47.69.
- UNCG -