Spartans Chase Hardware at A-Sun Cross Country Championships
10/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete at the 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Championships as the Spartan men look to defend their team title and senior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Keyna) races for a three-peat Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla., hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University.
The 2012 A-Sun Championships will be held at FGCU's Buckingham Cross Country Course. The women's 5K race is scheduled to begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 9:30 a.m.
The Upstate men's team picked-up the program's first A-Sun team championship last season at the conference meet in Nashville, Tenn. With seven of the nine members of the championship squad back to compete, the 2012 Spartans look to bring home their second-straight A-Sun team trophy.
"The men's team has been looking forward to this race all season," said Upstate associate head coach Carson Blackwelder, the 2011 A-Sun Coach of the Year. "They are ready to compete and do everything they can to defend their title."
Kemboi has won two-straight individual Atlantic Sun Championships, claiming last year's title with a time of 24:27.01 and being named the A-Sun Runner of the Year. He was joined on the All-Conference Team by fell Spartans Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) and Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.). Dennison earned All-Atlantic Sun First Team honors, crossing the finish line sixth with a time of 25:18.35, while Ritacco was a second team selection, coming in 10th-place with a time of 25:41.64.
The Spartan women's team recorded its best score in program history at last year's A-Sun Championships with 91 points, finishing fourth-place in the team standings for the third-straight year. After graduating the top three runners from last season's conference meet, sophomore Jasmine Polite (Goose Creek, S.C.) has stepped up this season to be Upstate's top runner. As a freshman, Polite registered a time of 19:20.80 at the A-Sun Championship. This year, she has led the Spartans in all four meets including a first-place finish at the Upstate Invite Oct. 13 with a personal-best time of 19:06.25.
"The women have had some great workouts over the last few weeks and are ready to run some of their fastest times of the season," Blackwelder said.
Kemboi is looking to become the third athlete in conference history to win three A-Sun individual cross country championship titles and the only one from the current member institutions as Michael Green (1998-200) from Troy and Andrew Letherby (1994, 1996-97) from Georgia State comprise the three-peat list. Kemboi also holds the second and third fastest times in A-Sun history (24:00.81 in 2010 and 24:27.01 in 2011). His fastest time this season came at the Paul Short Invitational Sept. 28, crossing the line in 23:59.
The Spartan men remain strong throughout their roster as Dennison has proved to be a solid performer for Upstate during his senior campaign, posting his best time of the year at the Paul Short Invite with a time of 25:51. Junior Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.) has stepped up for the Spartan men this season, being the third Upstate finisher in three of four meets this season. Senior Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla.) has also been a strong performer for the Spartans, finishing as one of the team's top five runners in every meet this season. Oden clocked in with a season-best mark of 26:11 at the Paul Short Invite, but was edged by Thomas with a season-best time of 26:06.
In the Upstate women's last outing, senior Hannah Chaney (Brunswick, Ohio) and sophomore Erin Gethin (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) posted career-best marks Oct. 13 at the Upstate Invite. Chaney recorded a time of 20:10.08, while Gethin (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) crossed the line in 20:16.58. Freshman Anastasia Kolesnitchenko (Boiling Springs, S.C.) is the only other Spartan besides Polite to turn in a time under the 20-minute mark this year. The freshman's best time this season is 19:59.39, coming Sept. 15 at the Winthrop Invitational.
"This race will also help develop some of our freshmen by giving them experience at the conference championship level," Blackwelder said.
Official results for the 2012 A-Sun Cross Country Championships will be available at UpstateSpartans.com and at AtlanticSun.org following the conclusion of both the women's 5K and the men's 8K races. Follow the Spartans this season on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
