UNCG men place fifth, women take eighth at Eye Opener Invitational

SPARTANBURG, SC – UNC Greensboro’s men’s cross country team placed fifth and the women were eighth at the Eye Opener Invitational at Milliken Research Park as the Spartans opened the 2008 season on Saturday, Sept. 6.  The men totaled 108 points.  The women compiled 237 points.

The women’s 5K race consisted of 312 runners from Division I and Division II programs.  Junior Sherrika Jordan paced the Spartans as she covered the course in a time of 20:00 and placed 53rd.  Sophomore Tiffany Garber was three seconds behind in 61st.  Freshman Kerry Hartman was 73rd with a time of 20:19, while sophomore Michelle Chewens clocked 20:24 and placed 75th.  Freshmen Jade Farlow (20:29) and Jenna Paley (20:30) finished 77th and 78th, respectively, while classmate Emily Vasquez was 82nd with a time of 20:34.  Junior Mary Rutz was just two seconds behind Vazquez and in 84th.  Freshman Chelsea Willette (21:07, 110th) and redshirt sophomore Courtney Fawcett (21:42, 141st) rounded out the Spartans.

Clemson won the women’s title with 40 points.  Meanwhile, USC Upstate’s Emily Tangwar edged out Furman’s Lauren Tomory for the individual crown.  Tangwar crossed the finish line in a time of 18:26, just one second ahead of Tomory.

In the men’s 8K race, there were 250 runners from both Division I and Division II programs.  Senior Xavier Rutz led UNCG as he crossed the finish line in a time of 26:39 and placed 18th.  Senior Josh Wyatt and freshman Joey Thompson placed 24th and 25th, respectively, both running 26:56.  Sophomore Andrew Clyne clocked 27:01 and finished 27th, while AJ Savoia was 29th with a time of 27:06.  Freshman Jermaine Coore ran 27:11, placing 35th.  Junior Terry Wyatt (27:29) and Cory Bowen (27:57) placed 45th and 59th, respectively.  Junior Lincoln Bennett ran 28:54 and placed 77th, while sophomore Taylor Hurst raced 29:08 and was 103rd.

Clemson also won the men’s title as the Tigers totaled 45 points, just beating out Elon, who had 46 points.  Furman’s Patrick Morgan won the individual crown as he ran a race-winning time of 25:31.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday, Sept. 20 when they compete in the Winthrop/Asics Invitational in Rock Hill, SC.  The men’s race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., while the women’s race goes off at 10 a.m.

AGATE

Women’s Division I Team Results: 1. Clemson, 40 points; 2. South Carolina, 82; 3. Davidson, 88; 4. Furman, 96; 5. Elon, 114; 6. USC Upstate, 138; 7. College of Charleston, 193; 8. UNC Greensboro, 237; 9. The Citadel, 279; 10. Georgia Southern, 306; 11. Wofford, 329; 12. Presbyterian, 353; 13. South Carolina State, 357

Women’s Top 10 (5K): 1. Emily Tangwar (USC Upstate), 18:26; 2. Lauren Tomory (Furman), 18:27; 3. Beatrice Biwott (South Carolina), 18:30; 4. Danielle Ruggieri (Davidson), 18:42; 5. Jane Gay (Davidson), 18:42; 6. Jenna Baker (Clemson), 18:51; 7. Stephanie Buffo (Clemson), 18:51; 8. Sunday Ford (Clemson), 18:51; 9. Joanie Castagno (Clemson), 18:52; 10. Laura Laughlin (Clemson), 18:54

UNCG Finishers: 53. Sherrika Jordan, 20:00; 61. Tiffany Garber, 20:03; 73. Kerry Hartman, 20:19; 75. Michelle Chewens, 20:24; 77. Jade Farlow, 20:29; 79. Jenna Paley, 20:30; 82. Emily Vasquez. 20:34; 84. Mary Rutz, 20:46; 110. Chelsea Willette, 21:07; 141. Courtney Fawcett, 21:42

Men’s Division I Team Results: 1. Clemson, 45 points; 2. Elon, 46; 3. Davidson, 59; 4. Furman, 73; 5. UNC Greensboro, 108; 6. The Citadel, 205; 7. USC Upstate, 220; 8. College of Charleston, 230; 9. Wofford, 235; 10. Presbyterian, 303; 11. South Carolina State, 333

Men’s Top 10 (8K): 1. Patrick Morgan (Furman), 25:31; 2. Tom Divinnie (Davdison), 25:35; 3. Jayce Watson (Wingate), 26:02; 4. Alexandra Hoyt (Davidson), 26:09; 5. William Schefer (Elon), 26:11; 6. Justin Gianni (Elon), 26:14; 7. Ricky Myers (Elon), 26:20; 8. Sam Bryfczynski (Clemson), 26:26; 9. Chad Holt (Clemson), 26:26; 10. Chris Slate (Clemson), 26:26

UNCG Finishers: 18. Xavier Rutz, 26:39; 24. Josh Wyatt, 26:56; 25. Joey Thompson, 26:56; 27. Andrew Clyne, 27:01; 29. AJ Savoia, 27:06; 35. Jermaine Coore, 27:11; 45. Terry Wyatt, 27:29; 59. Cory Bowen, 27:57; 77. Lincoln Bennett, 28:54; 103. Taylor Hurst, 29:08