FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams competed Saturday in the 26th annual adidas/Winthrop Invitational, which also served as the South Carolina Intercollegiate Championship.
The Spartan men finished sixth overall in the team standings, but came in first among the South Carolina schools, winning the 2012 state championship title. Upstate senior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) took second-place honors with a time of 24:14.75. He was named the South Carolina Intercollegiate Individual Champion.
In the overall race standings, Kemboi was edged by Louisville's Ernest Kibet with a time of 24:13.17. The Cardinals are ranked No. 7 in the Southeast Region and topped the team standings Saturday with three finishers in the top eight. High Point, who is ranked No. 12 in the Southeast Region, came in fifth in the men's 8K with160 points, while Upstate trailed in sixth with 182 points.
Senior Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) was the second finisher for the Spartan men, crossing the line in 25:58.31. For the second-straight meet this season, junior Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.) was the third Upstate finisher, coming in 26:26.53, while senior Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla.) posted a time of 26:31.03. Junior Andrew Kipchumba (Eldoret, Kenya) and sophomore Mark Rennix (Beaufort, S.C.) followed close behind, coming in at 26:36.20 and 26:40.85, respectively. The mark was a personal-best for Rennix, who cracked the program's all-time best list at No. 24.
"We had a great overall race today," said Upstate associate head coach Carson Blackwelder. "The guys went out there and tested themselves. It was exciting to see them mix it up with some very good teams."
In the women's 5K, regionally ranked Liberty and High Point took second and seventh, respectively. The Flames are currently ranked 12th in the Southeast Region, while the Panthers are 15th in the Southeast. The Spartans came in 16th out of 31 teams, tallying 419 points. Seven Upstate women posted personal-bests, climbing the school's all-time records list.
Sophomore Jasmine Polite (Goose Creek, S.C.) crossed the line first for the Spartan women, recording an individual-best time of 19:07.28. She ranks sixth in the Upstate record books. Freshman Anastasia Kolesnitchenko (Boiling Springs, S.C.) crossed the line in19:59.39, while classmate Molly Bliss (Milford, Del.) had a time of 20:09.53, both marks were personal records. Kolesnitchenko climbed to 10th all-time in school history. Senior Hannah Chaney (Brunswick, Ohio) registered a personal-best time of 20:29.88, while freshman Ashleigh Torres (Roanoke, Va.) followed closely with a time of 20:30.49.
"The women did a great job of moving up in the race and running some good times," Blackwelder said. "The girls are getting in good race shape."
Upstate sophomore Erin Gethin (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) recorded a personal record, finishing in 20:31.92. Freshmen Nia Payne (Conway, S.C.) and Danielle Horneff (Haddon Heights, N.J.) rounded out the individual records for the Spartans with times of 20:43.55 and 20:49.42, respectively.
The Spartans return to action Sept. 28, traveling to Bethlehem, Pa., for the Paul Short Invitational. Follow Upstate cross country this season on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
