Saturday, October 31, 2009

DeLAND, Fla. – Jacksonville’s five-year climb up the Atlantic Sun women’s cross country standings reached a crescendo, dominating the 11-team field to capture its first Women’s Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championship held on Saturday morning at the Sperling Sports Complex, and hosted by Stetson.

Jacksonville improved their standing for the sixth straight A-Sun Championship. Starting in 2004, the Dolphins had finished eighth, seventh, sixth, fourth and second, prior to this year’s first-place showing. Jacksonville’s coach, Ron Grigg, won his first Coach of the Year award and the Dolphins placed six in the top 14, defeating their closest competitor Kennesaw State by 37 points. Senior Elsabeth Goshu crossed the finish line in third at 17:53 ahead of junior Anastasia Fokina, who rounded up the First-Team All-Atlantic, and freshman Joan Pierre, who closed out the Dolphins finishing among the top 10.

Belmont’s senior Brittany Thune, the reigning Women’s Cross Country Individual Champion, took control of the race early to finish in front of the competition in 17:17, becoming the sixth repeat women’s champion in women’s history, and the first since Campbell’s Alicia Valtin won in 2005 and 2006. The four-time all-conference performer and 2006 Freshman of the Year turned in the fastest time at an A-Sun Championship since Valtin’s 2005 time of 16:56, and the third fastest time for a winner in A-Sun history.

Kennesaw State placed second for its fifth top-three team finish in its five years in the conference. Junior Mackenzie Howe led three Owls, along with senior Erin Sutton and junior Britany Reilly, among the top eight with a second-place finish of 17:31.

UNF bounced back from a sixth-place finish in 2008 to finish third this year, thanks to the strong finish from freshman Shelby Kittrell. The 2009 Freshman of the Year led the Ospreys that placed all five scorers in the top 25 with a fourth-place finish of 18:02. She became the first Osprey to win one of the league’s superlative awards since they joined the league in 2005. Kittrell led a group of three Ospreys, Meggie Emons and Melanie Novack as the other two, onto the All-Freshman team, along with Jacksonville’s Joane Pierre and Mercer’s Kacie Niemann. In the history of the All-Freshmen team, only two schools have placed more than one runner on the team, Belmont in 2008 and UNF in 2009.

USC Upstate came in a program-best fourth-place, followed by Belmont and Lipscomb. The Spartans improved their standing for the third straight A-Sun Championship since joining the league. Starting in 2007, USC Upstate had finished 12th and seventh, before moving up to today’s placing. Sophomore Jemeli Sang finished in the top 10, taking fifth in a time of 18:06, as did sophomore Carolyne Chelulei, who finished ninth in 18:16. FGCU improved their record from ninth to seventh with Campbell taking eighth. Mercer, ETSU and Stetson rounded out the team standings.

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.