Spartanburg, S.C. (Sept. 6th, 2008) --- The men’s and women’s King College cross country team’s both claimed a top-ten finish at the Eye Opener Invitational. Led by Daniel Hamilton (Franklin, N.C.) the men’s destroyed fellow Appalachian Athletic Conference foe UVA-Wise while the women’s squad snatched a ninth place finish.
Carrie Nelson (Independence, Va.) sliced through the competition in a new personal record of 19:30. Nelson, securing 30th place individually, was only the 4th non-NCAA Division I athlete in the top 30. Amy Wallace (Winter Park, Fla.) and Danielle Alfano (Chattanooga, Tenn.) rounded out the top three for the Lady Tornado’s, and helped secure the top-ten team position.
The men’s race saw Hamilton lead a youthful Tornado squad to victory over fellow AAC member UVA-Wise by a considerable margin. Hamilton broke the tape as the fifth non-NCAA Division I athlete, with a time of 27:08. Experience was evident when junior Josh Brewer (Knoxville, Tenn.) crossed the line second for the Tornado’s in a time of 28:13. His strong running would help the team to its dominating performance against fellow AAC members. Concluding the feat was freshmen duo Ryan Pierce (Seymour,Tenn.) and Justin Humphreys (Bristol, Tenn.). The pair started conservatively and progresses throughout the race.
“This was a good benchmark for us,” commented Head Coach Peter Dalton. “Up front we are doing what needs to be done. The men’s performance continues to improve and I know that when the time is right, we will be ready.”
The KingCollege men’s and women’s cross country team will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 19th, at the VA Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va.