2018 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship Preview
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The 2018 edition of the South Atlantic Conference men's cross country championship will take place on Saturday, November 3. All 11 teams will compete in Spartanburg, S.C. at the Milliken Research Center to take home the trophy.
Anderson was tagged fourth in the USTFCCCA preseason rankings and currently sit in fifth. Both men's and women's Trojan teams won their respective race at the Warrior Cross Country Invitational to open up the season. In his first collegiate event, Luke Horning claimed the individual title. The Trojans had five of the top nine finishers. In the next meet, the North Georgia Cross Country Invitational, Horning led Anderson to a third place finish, crossing the line in ninth of 403 runners. Weston Hutto earned 12th in the same race. Horning claimed a SAC AstroTurf Runner of the Week honor during his freshman season.
Luke Greer led the Carson-Newman Eagles all season, starting with an individual win at the season-opening Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational. Greer beat competition from among all levels of collegiate athletics, aiding the Eagles in their seventh place finish. He also crossed the line in eighth at the Queen City Invite and fifth at the Royals Challenge, out of 403 runners. Greer was honored as a SAC AstroTurf Runner of the Week as well.
The Catawba Indians started the season with a team and individual title. Javier Alejandro collected the accolade with five other teammates finishing in the top 11. This earned him SAC AstroTurf Runner of the Week. In their next meet at the USC Upstate Invitational, Catawba garnered fifth with Alejandro leading the way in eighth. He also finished 14th out of 403 runners at the Royals Challenge.
Coker started the season strong with a win at the Carolina Challenge. Brandon Mullins finished in ninth overall and second amongst Division II competition. Jacob Chebii collected 19th overall and third in Division II time. In the Cobras' third place campaign at the Koala Classic, Chebii and Mullins crossed the line in second and third, respectively.
The Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne broke into the USTFCCCA southeast rankings in week five in the No. 8 spot and have continued to hold the position. They bookended the season with wins coming at the Eye Opener Invitational and the Lenoir-Rhyne Classic. Josh Adkins and Jayden Hefner collected 12th and 15th place finishes which were good for second and third amongst Division II runners. At the Lenoir-Rhyne Classic, the two crossed the line back-to-back in third and fourth.
In the USTFCCCA preseason poll, Lincoln Memorial was placed in tenth. The Railsplitters' highest team finish of fourth came at the Mike and Mary Kay Invitational in second meet of the season. Jorge Hernandez, Jacob Gatewood, and Michael Jakubek finished 5-7. Additionally, Hernandez claimed eighth at the North Georgia Invitational.
Finishing third at the Bulldog Stampede was the Mars Hill Lions. The USTFCCCA preseason fifth pick was paced by Nick Resor (12th place), Bryan Barbee (14th), and Jared Stanley (16th). Resor finished the Lenoir-Rhyne Classic in a respectable 13th place.
Newberry's highest placing was second at the Koala Classic. Five runners finished between the 9-15 places: Shelton Reynolds (9th), Chandler Stanley (10th), Quinn Wilson (12th), Caleb Bouwkamp (13th), and Nate Carrasco (15th).
The preseason No. 1 pick in the southeast, Queens has been ranked as high as sixth nationally, but is currently seventh. The Royals collected a runner-up finish at the Lewis Conference Cross-Over with Daniel Wallis crossing the line in sixth. Queens won the Royal Challenge over 43 teams, including Division I opponents. Out of 403 runners, Wallis and Felix Wammetsberger finished third and sixth respectively. In the competition at the Charlotte Opener as the lone Division II team, Nick Kipkemei collected a fourth place finish, while at the Queen City Invite, he was timed in 11th. The Royals tied for second at the Pre-Nationals hosted by Slippery Rock and Kipkemei crossed the line in 13th. Wallis was also honored as SAC AstroTurf Runner of the Week during the season.
Tusculum achieved a regional ranking of fifth by the USTFCCCA during 2018 and had multiple top-tier finishes. At the Pioneers' win at the Zaxby's Open, Will Cronin, a SAC AstroTurf Runner of the Week, and Kyler Hodges earned 1-2 finishes. At both the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational and Lenoir-Rhyne Classic, Tusculum collected a second place time. Cronin was ninth at the Invitational and Hodges was 12th. The competition at the Classic consisted of Jackson Beason's individual title and T.J. Tupps's second place finish. Beason also earned conference runner of the week for his performance.
Earning a USTFCCCA preseason ranking of sixth, the Wingate Bulldogs have slid to the No. 9 slot. A fourth place finish at the Covered Bridge Open (1st place among Division II), Micah Kipchumba crossed the line in 12th overall and first throughout Division II. Both of Wingate's men's and women's teams won the Bulldog Stampede. Kipchumba collected the individual honor while the Bulldogs filled seven of the top 11 places. Placing fourth at the USC Upstate Invitational, Kipchumba led Wingate to a second place team finish, only behind Division I Appalachian State. Out of 403 runners at the Royals Challenge, Kipchumba produced a solid 17th place mark. He also earned back-to-back SAC AstroTurf Runner of the Week honors.
The gun will fire at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday to start the men's conference tournament. Live results can be found here: http://results.tfmeetpro.com/TimingInccom/2018_South_Atlantic_Conference_Cross_Country_Championship/.
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