Thursday, September 08, 2011

MACON, Ga. – After capturing the Appalachian State Covered Bridge Invite title, North Florida remained at the top of the Atlantic Sun Women's Cross Country Poll. The Ospreys picked up nine of the ten first-place votes to finish ahead of Lipscomb and Jacksonville. All of the women's teams remained in their preseason slots.

Cross Country Notes:

• USC Upstate's Joan Tangwar - the A-Sun Women's Runner of the Week - joined Kemboi with a first-place finish at the Eye Opener as the senior set a course and school record in the 5K race. Her time of 17:06 was just ahead of teammate Jemeli Sang at 17:34, who finished second at the meet and also set a personal record time.
• North Florida's women's team took first place at the Appalachian State Covered Bridge Invite to start off the season finishing the meet with just 37 points. Senior Erin Nixon led the way with a second-place finish to help the Ospreys finish ahead of Atlantic Coast members Wake Forest (2nd; 74) and Florida State (3rd; 89).
• At the JU Short Course Duals, Jacksonville came away with the team title as newcomer Sarah Bailey led the charge with a time of 13:07.01 in the 3,330-meter race. The Dolphins won all three matches to win the meet for the third time in the past four seasons.
• Mercer's Kacie Niemann broke the program record for a 5K race for the fourth time in her career at the Georgia Bulldog Invitational when she posted a time of 18:07.34. Her mark was 13 seconds faster than her previous record, which was set at the 2010 A-Sun Championship. Niemann crossed the finish line fifth only trailing four UGA runners.
• Three A-Sun teams competed at the Belmont Opener this past weekend including the host Bruins, Lipscomb and Kennesaw State. Lipscomb led the way claiming second-place behind the performance of Dani Walker (6th; 14:23.80), while Belmont and the Owls finished fourth and sixth, respectively.

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.