SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate hosted a successful 37th annual Eye Opener for 14 competing schools at the Roger Milliken Center with the men's and women's teams showing promise for a positive 2022 season.
Upstate left Roger Milliken Center on Friday night with a pair of team top-10 finishes on the course as the men collected a third-place finish while the women placed eighth at the Eye Opener.
Head coach Carson Blackwelder was pleased with the teams' performances saying, "The men had a strong start to the season. Third was a good finish for us. We are extremely excited to see what we can do with a couple more weeks of training".
In the men's 8K race, senior Noah White notched a top-ten finish placing ninth, while sophomore Caleb Bayne (18) and senior Nigel Dos Santos (20) cracked the top 20.
Men's Results (3rd of 14)
9. Noah White – 25:57.8
18. Caleb Bayne – 27:14.8
20. Nigel Dos Santos – 27:22.4
23. Sam Shimanskiy – 27:49.7
25. Carter Sexton – 27:52.2
41. Gabe Herron – 28:44.1
43. Chris Post – 28:47.8
White was ecstatic with his finish saying, "The Eye Opener was my first cross country race in four years. Being able to come back to a course I raced on in the past and run a solid 8k was a really special moment for me. I am really happy to be back on a cross country team with such an awesome group of guys".
In the women's 5K race, junior Heaven Allen led Upstate and finished 11th overall while setting a new personal best with a time of 19:26.8.
Women's Results (8th of 12)
11. Heaven Allen - 19:26.8
41. Grace Miller - 21:43.0
46. Laura Yarborough - 21:55.4
47. Elise Wilcher - 22:04.0
52. Alanie Foster- 23:16.6
FULL RESULTS
Results (tfmeetpro.com)
Next UP for the Spartans
Following their season opener, the Spartans will head to Boone, N.C. to compete in the Firetower Project Open on Friday, September 16
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