CARY, N.C. – In their second meets of the season, the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's and women's cross country teams both finished fourth at the Adidas XC Challenge at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
MEN'S TEAM
On the men's side, North Carolina earned the team title with 31 points, while NC State followed in second with 47 points, and Wake Forest University rounded out the top three with 58 points.
With three Spartans finishing in the top 30, UNCG placed fourth with 110 points, ahead of Duke University, NC A&T, Campbell, and NC Central.
For the second-straight meet, senior
Dylan Christopher led the Spartans with his 13
th-place finish. This was his second top-15 mark of the season. Christopher clocked in a career-best time of 18:22.2 in the six-kilometer course.
Junior
Michael Zapherson and senior
Thomas Knepshield battled it out for the next team points as they crossed the finish. Zapherson, who earned a 26
th-place finish, edged Knepshield out by one second, who finished 28
th out of 78 competitors. Zapherson ran the race in a career-best time of 18:48.1 and Knepshield clocked in a career-best time 18:49.1.
Senior Joseph Thoma and freshman
Ethan Long weren't far behind, placing 34
th and 36
th, respectively. Thoma ran the course with a career-best time of 18:57.1 and Long crossed the finish line in season best time of 19:00.8.
Senior
Cameron Belk, in just his fourth cross country race of his career, ran the course with a career-best time of 19:17.6, good for 44
th place. Classmate
Nicholas Thoma, who finished 48
th out of 78 competitors clocked in a career-best time of 19:23.7.
WOMEN'S TEAM
UNCG clocked in a total of 110 points, taking home fourth overall. NC State earned the team title with a total of 15 points, as it posted nine finishes in the top 11. Wake Forest University was the runner-up with 49 points, while Davidson totaled 92 points, rounding out the top-three teams.
Graduate student,
Ariana Garcia led the Spartans for the second time this season, with a 23
rd-place finish and a career-best time of 17:59.9.
Seniors
Chandler McCaslin and
Jillian Felton were the next Blue & Gold across the finish line, taking home 36th- and 37
th-place, respectively. McCaslin recorded a time of 18:58.1, while Felton ran the five-kilometer course in 19:01.5.
Sophomore
Shay Soukup was the only other Spartan to finish in the top-50 with her career-best time of 19:18.2, good for 43
rd. In her second race of the season, freshman
Camille Carlson placed 52
nd with a time of 19:46.1.
Freshman
Serena Henderson made her first appearance in the Blue & Gold.
THOUGHTS FROM THE COACH, KALEIGH ROACH
"Looking at a really solid performance up and down the board. We are excited. We are confident. All I can ask for is to keep going in a positive direction and I think we are doing just that. It is early in the season, so looking ahead we are trying to stay stride-by-stride, stay in a positive direction. A lot left to learn, and a lot left to grow from."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will open the month of October with the Louisville Classic on Saturday the 2nd.
