Saturday, October 28, 2006

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Belmont’s men won their fifth consecutive team title, matching the A-Sun record, as the Bruins captured five of the first seven spots to win going away at the 2006 A-Sun Cross Country Championships on the campus of Gardner-Webb University.

A-Sun Runner of the Year Colin Magut paced the Bruins’ dominant effort, covering the difficult terrain of Saturday’s 8K course in 25:48. Senior Ryan Snellen wasn’t far behind, running just two seconds off Magut’s pace to finish second. Kevin Stone (5th, 26:08), John Brigham (6th, 26:16), and Clay Hannah (7th, 26:33) rounded out the scoring parade for the Nashville-based program. Hannah was the A-Sun’s Freshman of the Year, in addition to his All-Conference performance

Kennesaw State rallied for second on Saturday, with Scott Burley legging out a third-place finish in 25:52 to pace the Owls. ETSU just edged Gardner-Webb for third, winning that close battle by a single team point. Gardner-Webb’s jump was paced by the Bulldogs’ top individual effort ever at the A-Sun Championships, as Josh Hudson took fourth place with a time of 26:05.

Lucas McAneney also earned All-Conference honors for the Bulldogs, taking 10th with a time of 26:46. A strong finish by junior Alex Nimmo helped the Bulldogs’ team finish as well, with Nimmo taking 16th with a time of 27:11. Geoff Lesch-Wragge (30th) and Tim Israel (37th) rounded out the GWU scoring five in the race. UNF finished fifth overall, Campbell came in sixth, Lipscomb took seventh and Mercer finished eighth. Stetson (ninth) and Jacksonville (10th) rounded out the field. Belmont’s Jeff Langdon was named A-Sun Coach of the Year.

Team Results (Pts)
1. Belmont (21)
2. Kennesaw State (79)
3. ETSU (96)
4. Gardner-Webb (97)
5. UNF (128)
6. Campbell (129)
7. Lipscomb (168)
8. Mercer (206)
9. Stetson (280)
10. Jacksonville (313)

Runner of the Year:
Colin Magut, Belmont University

Coach of the Year: Jeff Langdon, Belmont University

Freshman of the Year: Clay Hannah, Belmont University

All-Freshman Team
Clay Hannah, Belmont
Peikko Solla, Kennesaw State
Fredrik Johannson, UNF
Ryan Chastain, Lipscomb
J. Penny, ETSU

All-Conference
Colin Magut, Belmont
John Brigham, Belmont
Ryan Snellen, Belmont
Scott Burley, Kennesaw State
Josh Hudson, Gardner-Webb
Kevin Stone, Belmont
Clay Hannah, Belmont
Jeremy Helf, Campbell
Michael Deren, ETSU
Lucas McAneny, Gardner-Webb