University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Upstate/Wofford Dual Meet
Cross Country Teams Open Season with First Place Finishes
9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Women's Results
Sept. 1, 2009
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams started their 2009 season on Tuesday night at the Wofford Relays at the Milliken Research Park. Both the men's and women's team earned first place finishes. Upstate competed against Wofford and Gardner-Webb in the three team event.
Carolyne Chelulei and Joan Tangwar placed first in the women's race with a relay time of 22:57. Right behind them was Lauren Walker and Emily Tangwar who finished with a relay time of 22:58.
Lauren Walker had this to say about Tuesday's event, "It was a great way to begin the season for our teams. Because it was a relay event there wasn't as much pressure as there is with a normal race. I felt that it was a practice run for our team prior to Saturday's event."
Walker's relay teammate Emily Tangwar added, "Lauren started with a good pace and then she moved in to a higher gear during the final stretch of her run. I did the same during my part of the race and I really pushed myself at the end because I wanted to pass my sister."
The final Spartan relay team to cross the finish line was Jemeli Sang and Laura Transue. The pair finished with a time of 24:02, earning them a fourth-place finish. The Spartans posted a team score of seven as they finished first overall.
On the men's side, teammates Cameron Thomas and Gilbert Kemboi took first place with a time of 25:30. David Dennison and James Jackson finished second with a time of 25:56.
Thomas said this about the season opening event, "Coach Stephens told the first leg runners to set a steady pace even if that meant that we fell behind a little bit at the beginning. He informed us of when we were to pass those that were in front of us. By following those guidelines we were able to have a strong run and that allowed us to finish first."
Kemboi stated this about his first collegiate race, "For about the first 500 meters of the race, I just maintained the pace with those that were near me. At about the 1000 meter mark, I increased my pace and left the other runners behind me. It felt good to compete tonight and I expect to do something special on Saturday at the Eye Opener."
Dustin Thomas and Matt Henderson was the final Spartan team to cross the finish line. The pair finished eight after posting a time of 28:42. The men's team finished first after posting a score of 11.
The cross country team will be back in action on Saturday morning when Upstate hosts the 26th annual Eye Opener Invitational. The event will take place at the Milliken Research Park and will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the women's collegiate 5k.
