Cross country teams top lists for A-Sun wins
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ISSUE: 09/13/07 > Sports > Cross country teams top lists for A-Sun wins
The big news out of Macon, Ga., is the stellar prediction made for Belmont University’s cross-country teams.
When coaches of the Atlantic Sun conference released their preseason poll, they ranked both the men and women’s cross country team as most likely to win the 2007 conference championship.
| On The Run |
| Fans can see Belmont’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams compete in the Vanderbilt University Commodore Classic Saturday, Sept. 15. The men’s race – 8000 meters – is at 9 a.m., while the women begin their 5000-meter race at 10 a.m. Both are at Percy Warner Park’s Vaughn’s Gap Cross Country Course, Highway 100 and Old Hickory Boulevard. |
Already the predictions are proving their accuracy. In the first meet of the season, The Belmont Opener, the men’s team once again dominated with six men in the top 11 spots. While a Southeastern Conference school, University of Tennessee, captured the first place in the women’s event with two top-three runners, Belmont’s women tied with the University of Alabama-Birmingham for third place.
The coaches unanimously selected the men’s team, whose dynasty over the event has lasted a string of five years, as the first pick for this year’s conference, and Belmont head coach Jeff Langdon appears very optimistic.
“We won last year's championship and are fortunate to have most of our core back for this season,” Langdon said.
The core he is referring to consists of four top runners returning this year, Kipkosgei Magut, Kevin Stone, Josh Brigham and Clay Hannah. All four finished in the Top 10 at the 2006 Conference with teammate Magut going on to later place 10th at the NCAA South Regional.
The women were also slated first in an 11:1 vote. The last vote went to the University of North Florida (UNF) women’s team, who placed 2nd in last year’s conference championship.
Returning members to the Belmont women’s team include three top eight runners from the 2006 A-Sun championship, Lauren Williams, Elizabeth Smothers, and Brittany Thune. Thune, who finished 8th in the ’06 event, was awarded the honor “freshman of the year.”
In this year’s Belmont opener, Thune, now a sophomore for the Bruins, placed 7th with a time of 14:37.56. Williams, a senior, finished 9th with a time of 14:48.24. Smothers, Megan Saunders and Dom Roy all placed in the top 25.
On the men’s side in that event, seniors Jacob Buckman and John Brigham led with 3rd and 4th place times of 15:20:52 and 15:21:19, respectively. Juniors Caleb Swartz and Ben McGlothlin rounded out the top six with times of 15:21:49 and 15:29:07, respectively. Hillary Cheruiyot and Kip Hill added to the Bruins’ total at the 10th and 11th slots.
The Atlantic Sun Conference consists of twelve schools: Belmont University, Campbell University in North Carolina, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast, Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina, Jacksonville University in Florida, Kennesaw State University in Georgia, Lipscomb University, Mercer University in Georgia, University of North Florida, Stetson University in Florida and University of South Carolina Upstate.
2007 Cross Country Preseason Polls |
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1. Belmont |
1. Belmont |
