Wednesday, September 09, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Like her 2008 start, Kennesaw State’s Mackenzie Howe won the individual competition at Saturday’s JSU Struts Season Opener. For her performance, she won the first Atlantic Sun Runner of the Week award for 2009, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

The junior from Watkinsville, Ga. finished first in the JSU Struts Season Opener, hosted by Jacksonville State University in Oxford, Alabama. The health and exercise science major successfully defended her 2008 title by running the two-mile course in 11:07, 43 seconds ahead of the second-place runner and 37 seconds faster than her winning time at the 2008 event. The Runner of the Week award, the fifth of her career leaves her one shy of the A-Sun’s all-time record. Georgia State’s Jenn Feenstra won six such awards during her career spanning 2001 to 2004.

The Kennesaw State women won the race overall with a team score of 21. Behind Howe, Brittany Reilly finished second with Kristen Gibson in third. Caitlin German took sixth and Lorena Jaime placed ninth. The Owls return to the course on Saturday at the UTC PowerAde Invitational.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. 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, Campbell 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.

Other Top Performers

Carolyne Chelulei, USC Upstate (So. - Eldoret, Kenya - Nursing) -- Won both races that she participated in last week. The sophomore won the 26th Annual Eye Opener Invitational after posting a time of 18:12, which was just three seconds behind the meet record. Chelulei also finished first at the Wofford Relays.

Elsabeth Goshu, Jacksonville (Sr. - Sioux Falls, S.D. - Art) -- Helped the Dolphins win the JU short course duals by finishing first for the second year in the row with a time of 12:39.87. The Dolphins have now won five of the last regular season meets dating back to last season.

Megan Thies, FGCU (Jr. - Brandon, Fla. - Biology) -- In the first cross country meet of the season, Megan won the Miami Greentree Invitational. She ran the 5K in 19:39.66, four seconds faster than the second-place finisher, as FGCU won the team competition over FAU and Miami.