LOUISVILLE, KY. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's and women's cross country teams competed in their largest meet thus far at the 20
th Annual Live in Lou Cross Country Classic at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.
This course is a preview for the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championship, which takes place on Friday, November 12.
MEN'S TEAM
The men's squad, who competed against a field of 36 teams in the eight-kilometer gold race, finished 22
nd overall. UNCG has been ranked 15
th for the past two weeks in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast region poll.
The Spartans, who saw three finish in the top 100, beat Southern Conference (SoCon) foe University of Tennessee at Chattanooga who finished 35
th overall, while Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU) took home 10
th. This is the first eight-kilometer race this season for the UNCG. At the two-kilometer split, the Spartans were 23
rd and then at the four-kilometer split, they were 21
st.
Senior
Dylan Christopher led the Spartans for the third time this season with an 88
th-place finish, clocking in a career best time of 24:49.4.
Senior
Thomas Knepshield and junior
Michael Zapherson weren't far behind. Knepshield finished 93
rd overall with a career best time of 24:52.5 and Zapherson placed 98
th with his career best time of 24:55.8.
Senior
Nicholas Thoma was the next Blue & Gold across the finish, running the course in a career best time of 25:06.1, good for 112th, while freshman
Ethan Long was the fifth Spartan placing 155
th out of 353 competitors clocking in at 25:31.9. This was Long's first-collegiate eight-kilometer race.
WOMEN'S TEAM
The women's team, who competed against a field of 44 teams in the five-kilometer gold race, finished 33
rd overall. ETSU was the first SoCon team to cross the finish line, placing 28
th, followed by the Spartans, and then Chattanooga taking home 37
th.
At the two-kilometer split, UNCG was 27
th overall. Sophomore
Jenna Reiter led the way for the Spartans for the first time this season, placing 104
th overall with a career best time of 18:12.0. Classmate
Shay Soukup was the second Blu & Gold across the finish line clocking in a career best time of 18:32.6, good for 146
th.
Graduate student,
Ariana Garcia and senior
Jillian Felton placed 179
th and 180
th out of 399 competitors, respectively. Garcia ran the course in 18:47.2, while Felton finished in 18:48.43, a season best.
THOUGHTS FROM THE COACH, KALEIGH ROACH
"Walking away from Louisville with heads held high, but still learning how to put our pieces together. We had tons of great individual performances as well as one of our best team spreads for both the men and the women. This was the biggest and toughest fields we've raced so far. I think we learned a lot and all we can do is put that forward to the races to come. Overall, I am proud of this team, and I am proud of their commitment to helping each other be better day-by-day. This crew is no doubt a pleasure to coach!"
UP NEXT
The Spartans take another week off to prepare for the ECU Pirate Invitational, their final regular season meet. The event, hosted by East Carolina University, is scheduled for Friday, October 15 in Greenville, N.C.
