FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Senior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) of the USC Upstate men's cross country team won the 29th annual Eye Opener Invitational Friday at Milliken Research Park as the Upstate men claimed second in the team standings, while the women took fourth.
This was the first meet of the 2012 campaign for the both Spartan men and women. Davidson took top honors in the men's team standings with 29 points, while Upstate earned second with 42 points. The Wildcats are ranked 11th in the Southeast Regional Rankings and had five runners finish in the top 10. Mars Hill collected third-place with 102 points, edging Spartanburg Methodist with 106. Furman came in fifth with 112 points.
The Spartan men had three runners in the top 10 as Kemboi crossed the line well ahead of the pack with a time of 25:31.48. Davidson's Andrew Lantz took second-place with a time of 25:56.65, edging Furman's Wilkerson Given, who claimed third with a time of 25:57.46.
"We just started the season; I think as we go on things will get better," Kemboi said. "We'll see what will happen as the season unfolds. I think the heat was one of the factors to consider today. It was humid. A race is just a race; anything can happen. You just have to go out there and set the pace and keep yours too. When no one is running with you, you have a lot to do."
Upstate senior Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) finished fifth with a time of 26:39.64, while junior Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.) crossed in 27:05.68 to earn eighth-place. Senior Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla.) was the fourth Spartan finisher, coming in 13th with a time of 27:23.23. Junior Andrew Kipchumba (Eldoret, Kenya) followed Thomas in 15th with a time of 27:30.13.
"On the guys' side, we got second, which was our plan to get in the top three," said Upstate associate head coach Carson Blackwelder. "Davidson and Furman are always very strong. Davidson looked very good from halfway into the race and really picked it up, but Davey (Dennison) was able to get right back in it for us and he was able to finish fifth. Ross Oden was eighth and Gilbert (Kemboi) was first. Actually Gilbert stopped probably about 800-meters into the race and tied his shoe, so his time was little bit slower, but he did a good job in the middle of the race just going after it and dropping everybody. I'm really pleased with where we're at. Christian Ritacco didn't run today, which he's normally one of our top five guys. He had some sinus issues going on so we had to hold him out, but we're excited to get to Winthrop and see what we can do there. It should be some good competition."
Davidson once again finished on top in the women's team rankings, collecting 30 points, while Furman was a close second with 33 points. The Wildcats and Paladins each had four finishers in the top 10, but the 'Cats' claimed second, third, sixth and seventh, while FU took first, fifth, eighth and ninth. Wofford rounded out the top three with 106 points, while Upstate snagged fourth with 123 points. Lenoir-Rhyne closed out the top five, hauling in 158 points.
Sophomore Jasmine Polite (Goose Creek, S.C.) crossed the line first for the Spartans, recording a time of 20:06.97. Freshman Anastasia Kolesnitchenko (Boiling Springs, S.C.) came in 19th and freshman Ashleigh Torres (Roanoke, Va.) took 20th with times of 20:25.09 and 20:29.74, respectively. Senior Hannah Cheney (Brunswick, Ohio) claimed 29th with a time of 20:52.30, while sophomore Erin Gethin (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was 39th with a time of 21:08.17.
"The women did good; I was excited that they were able to work as a group," Blackwelder said. "They worked as a very good group going through a mile and then going through two miles they started to spread out a little bit. Times weren't super-fast, but they weren't super-fast for anybody, men or women. I was very pleased with the women. This is a very young group. For six of them, this was their very first college cross country race so this experience is a little bit different from high school. It was an evening race, which is something they're not used to and the heat and humidity can get to you as well. Over all, I'm very pleased with where we're at; we were fourth overall so we can only move up and train to be better."
The Spartans return to action Sept. 15, traveling to Rock Hill, S.C., for the Winthrop Invitational.
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