Saturday, October 29, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - USC Upstate captured the institution's first Atlantic Sun Postseason Championship as the men's team posted a score of 69 to defeat two-time defending champions, Kennesaw State, at the A-Sun Men's Cross Country Championship. The Spartans' Gilbert Kemboi crossed the finish line first in a time of 24:27.01 - the fourth-fastest time in A-Sun history - to win his second-straight individual title.

The Spartans utilized three top-ten performances from Kemboi, Davey Dennison (6th; 25:18.35) and Christian Ritacco (10th; 25:41.64). Dennison joined Kemboi on the first-team all-conference, while Ritacco laned on the second team with his performance.

The Owls also scored three top-10 times with Nabil Hamid (2nd; 24:55.41), Jaakko Nieminen (3rd; 25:12.32) and Ryan Burruss (8th; 25:36.90). For Hamid, it marks his second-straight runner-up finish at the Conference meet. Belmont captured third place as Matt Miller crossed first for the Bruins in fourth place in 25:16.30.

Lipscomb and North Florida capped the top-five as the Bisons' Isaiah Greer and Ashton Fisher both registered second team All-Conference honors by finishing 11th and 13th, respectively. UNF's Mike Strasser earned first team honors with his seventh-place finish, while his teammate Cameron Dickerson placed ninth for second-team honors.

Filip Jalovy captured the A-Sun Freshman of the Year honor with his fifth-place finish to guide the Buccaneers to sixth-place overall just ahead of Mercer in seventh. FGCU, Stetson and Jacksonville rounded out the field.

Atlantic Sun Conference First Team:
Gilbert Kemboi, USC Upstate - Runner of the Year
Nabil Hamid, Kennesaw State
Jaakko Nieminen, Kennesaw State
Matt Miller, Belmont
Filip Jalovy, ETSU - Freshman of the Year
Davey Dennson, USC Upstate
Mike Strasser, North Florida

Atlantic Sun Conference Second Team:
Ryan Burruss, Kennesaw State
Cameron Dickerson, North Florida
Christian Ritacco, USC Upstate
Isaiah Greer, Lipscomb
Anders Ludvigsen, ETSU
Ashton Fisher, Lipscomb
Josh Helton, Belmont

Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman Team:
Filip Jalovy, ETSU - Freshman of the Year
Ryan Gadsey, Lipscomb
Marcus Bridger-Wilkinson, Belmont
Adam Chase, ETSU
Josh Jenkins, Kennesaw State

Carson Blackwelder, USC Upstate - Coach of the Year

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.