LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Centenary College is set to host the 2013 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference cross country championships on Saturday, November 2nd at the Clyde Fant Parkway Disc Golf Course in Shreveport, La. Official Site | Course Map
A season ago, Trinity University made history, capturing its first ever SCAC Championship in women's cross country and became the first women's team to earn a perfect score of 15. Vanessa Moreno was named SCAC Runner of the Year, by winning the race with a time of 23:26.02. In 2011, Maddie Murphy won the event, and Coach Emily Daum (Loeffler) captured the title in 2007. Murphy finished as runner-up (23:39.00),while Jessica Pagano was third (24:07.60), and Rosemary Steup placed fourth (24:15.41). Nine Trinity runners earned All-SCAC recognition. The Tiger women qualified for nationals by winning the NCAA South/Southeast Regional in Atlanta for the third time, with a superb score of 39. Trinity's women's team placed 12th at the NCAA Division III Championships at Terre Haute, Ind. It marked the second-best finish in school history, surpassed only by the 2008 squad's sixth-place performance. Coach Derick Lawrence was named SCAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and the South/Southeast Region Women's Coach of the Year.
The defending SCAC champions are ranked No. 13 in the nation by the USTFCCCA. Trinity has captured three team titles this season, including the Alamo City Opener and UTSA Ricardo Romo Classic (among non-Division I teams) in San Antonio, along with the Hanover Pre-Nationals at Hanover, Ind. The Tigers placed second at the Concordia Invitational at Pflugerville, Texas. Moreno won the Alamo City Opener individual championship, and Murphy took the UTSA Ricardo Romo Classic.
Colorado College may have lost some key runners from last season, but they have more than made up for it with the depth of this year's team. Junior Erin Morrow, a top 100 national finisher in 2012 and 21:41 6k runner, is back to lead the Tigers. Rebecca Lavietes is a junior who has not run competitively since high school but has come out of nowhere to place in the Tigers top three with a 19:03 5k. Their top five is rounded out by first years Leah Wessler (5k-19:01) Allie Crimmins (5k-19:32), and senior captain Annie Taylor (5k-19:20).
Southwestern University has been led by Lilly Duarte and Kara Koinis. Duarte enters as one of the top runners in the conference as she set a school record in the 5k at the Concordia Invitational. Duarte posted her record time of 18:13.2 in early October while Koinis raced to a 5k best 19:31.1, also at the Concordia Invitational. Other runners that will help the Pirates include Emily Ammon, Valerie Vacek and Brandi Martin. Ammon paced her season best time in the 5k at the Texas Lutheran Invitational with a time of 22:04.0 giving Southwestern three seniors in the top 20.
The University of Dallas will for a second-time under head coach Matt Buchhorn after finishing fourth a season ago. Dallas' runners to watch in the 2013 SCAC Championship include juniors Clare Myers, Meghan Falconer, Colleen Slattery and Danielle Pajak, in addition to freshman Anne Kennedy.In their only 6K race of 2013, Dallas placed second at the Centenary College of Louisiana meet held on Oct. 5. Myers paced the Lady Crusaders with a fourth-place jaunt of 25:02.1. Falconer (26:37.4), Slattery (27:02), Kennedy (27:04) and Pajak (27:06) also recorded Top 15 times. Myers, who finished 19th in last year's SCAC Championship with a time of 26:02, won the 2013 University of Dallas Invitational. She trekked the 4K course in 16:12, and seven of Buchhorn's runners finished in the Top 12 to capture first-place hardware for the team.
Centenary College is led by Rachel Olson who has finished in the top 10 in each of the Ladies races this season. Olson's best time this season came at the Mook 5 with a time of 19:46.03 which garnered her third place at the event. Her top finish was claiming the title at the Presidential Run at Wiley College. Olson finished third at the Centenary Invitational with a time of 24:59.20 and a third place finish. Sydney Smith posted a time of 31:26.30 at the Centenary Invitational – the only 6K run by the Maroon and White this season – with the second best finish for the Ladies Justine Russell finished 44th with a time of 31:58.90 in her first race with the Ladies.
The top 6k performances for Austin College have come from freshman Zerlina Fung, with a time of 30:04.0, as well as junior Sally Humphries, who posted a time of 30:22.3. Senior Naina Singh has also had a strong showing in the 6k, with a time of 30:40.4. Other top performers for the 'Roos who have yet to compete in a 6k this season include senior Sophie McDonald, junior Sophie Higgs and sophomore Amanda Goodson, who have all performed well at other distances throughout the year.
Schreiner University and Texas Lutheran University will make their first appearances at the SCAC Championships.
Texas Lutheran won the 2012 American Southwest Conference Women's Cross Country Championship with six runners out of last year's top seven still on the team. TLU has won two meets this season and has produced one SCAC Runner of the Week (senior Keelin Treacy). Treacy and fellow senior Melissa Longoria have led TLU in each of the Bulldogs' last two races. Treacy was the ASC individual runner-up in 2012, and Longoria had a Top 10 finish. As a whole, based on times over the season, this 2013 TLU Women's Cross Country squad is the fastest in school history. Treacy and Longoria at the top of the lineup are supported by first-year runners Sarah Fritzsche and Hannah Bowden, sophomores Jasmine Medrano and Samantha Lopez, and junior Stephanie Ernst. The Bulldogs are coached by second-year head coach Darlene Holland.
Schreiner will be led by junior Adriana Mercado and sophomore Courtney Van Ness as individual runners representing the Mountaineers. Van Ness ran her best 6k at the Angelo State Blue & Gold Classic with a time of 27:42. Mercado, who has dealt with injury/illness issues throughout the fall season, ran a 6k best of 28:37.
