WINGATE, N.C. - The Carson-Newman women took fifth place and the Carson-Newman finished ninth at the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships held Saturday morning in Wingate, N.C.
Sophomore Brooke Earhart (Dickson, Tenn.) was the top Lady Eagle finisher, taking 15th with a time of 20:52. Sophomore Meredith Nix (Walhalla, S.C.) claimed 22nd with a time of 21:13. Senior Melissa Ford (Richmond, Va.), freshman Ashley Matthews (Sanford, N.C.), and junior Lauren Henry (Greeneville, Tenn.) finished in 29th, 30th, and 31st respectively for C-N.
Senior Jonathan Madden was the Eagles' top men's finisher in 27th, closing at 27:23, 2:23 off the pace.
The Mars Hill College men's cross country team won their 14th consecutive conference championship.
Tusculum College senior Simon Holzapfel ended his SAC career in style, winning his second straight individual title with a school-record 8K time of 25:04. The SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner, Holzapfel outdistanced Mars Hill College junior Justin Gragg by 24 seconds.
Mars Hill claimed the second through fourth positions, led by Gragg's second-place time of 25:28. Senior George McCain finished third at 25:36, while senior Aaron Thomas earned fourth place at 25:58. Lion sophomore Eric Blackburn also received All-SAC laurels, thanks to his 14th place showing (26:31). Mars Hill outdistanced Lenoir-Rhyne by 19 points (51-70).
Second-place Lenoir-Rhyne had two All-SAC honorees, led by junior Jakob Maidens in fifth place. Maidens posted a time of 26:01. Senior Tyler Mooney was seventh at 26:04. Both Mars Hill and Lenoir-Rhyne had four student-athletes each finish in the top 20 Saturday.
Third-place Anderson had five runners in the top 20, including sophomore Nigel Reynolds, who claimed ninth place with a time of 26:16. Freshman Kyle Koby was 13th with a time of 26:30. Koby was one of three Trojan newcomers to receive All-Freshman team honors.
Host Wingate was led SAC Freshman of the Year Steve Hammond, who finished sixth with a time of 26:01. Classmate Binyam Ateka Belachew was eighth at 26:15, while sophomore Andrew Smith was 12th at 26:28. The Bulldogs finished fourth on the team charts.
Mars Hill head coach Mike Owens was named Men's Cross Country coach of the Year for the 15th year in a row.
The Anderson University women's cross country team claimed the first South Atlantic Conference championship in school history, beating two-time defending champion Lenoir-Rhyne University by six points.
Anderson's first SAC cross country meet will be one to remember, as four Trojans finished in the top 10. Leading the way was SAC Runner of the Year Whitney Bishoff. The junior posted a 5K time of 18:10 to take the checkered flag. AU freshman teammate Lydia Davis was the Freshman Runner of the Year, as she placed third with a 19:27. Anderson sophomore Emily Eckroth (20:23) and freshman Madeline Fitts (20:24), claimed eighth and ninth place, respectively.
Lenoir-Rhyne earned second place, only six points behind the victorious AU Trojans (47-53). Junior Kate Griewisch led the Bears, placing second with a time of 18:12. The 2009 SAC Runner of the Year, Griewisch was the 2010 SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner for women's cross country.
The host Wingate Bulldogs were third with 81 points. Freshman Keeley Wood was sixth with a time of 19:45. Senior Alicia Harbold joins Wood on the All-SAC team with her 11th place finish (20:32). Harbold is a three-time All-SAC performer.
Mars Hill was fourth with 120 points. Lion junior Cassie Adamson was fourth with a 19:30. Mars Hill's consistency was big, as the Lions had four runners finish between the 21st and 36th positions.Anderson coach Randy Green and Lenoir-Rhyne coach Jason Stewart shared the Coach of the Year honor. Stewart wins the award for the third year in a row.