Mars Hill Men’s Cross Country Team, Lenoir-Rhyne’s Kate Griewisch Advance To Cross Country National Championship

WINGATE, N.C. -- The Columbus State University women and the Queens University of Charlotte men picked up team championships in the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional cross country meet, hosted by Wingate University Saturday morning at the Wingate University cross country facility. The Mars Hill College men and Lenoir-Rhyne University women's runner Kate Griewisch will represent the South Atlantic Conference at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championship meet in Evansville, Ind. Nov. 21.

In the women's 6K race, Queens finished second to also earn a trip to the national meet. In the men's 10K race, Columbus State placed second and South Atlantic Conference member Mars Hill College finished third to punch their tickets for Evansville.

Women's 6K

Columbus State edged Queens by one point (68-69) to take the Southeast Regional title. Both teams will make their first-ever appearances at the national championship meet. The Cougars placed three runners in the top 10, led by Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Year Naomi Tanui. A junior, Tanui finished the 6K course with a time of 22:50.

CSU junior Brittney Skiles finished fourth at 23:28, while Cougar freshman Kelli Arnold placed eighth with a time of 24:07. Arnold was the PBC Freshman of the Year. Her sister Ashley was 11th with a time of 24:14.

For Queens, freshman Maraya Slatter led the charge by placing fifth with a time of 23:46. Junior teammate Jessica Neville was next, finishing sixth with a 23:49 clocking. Senior Meagan Nedlo was ninth with a time of 24:09. Both the Queens Royals and the CSU Cougars were champions of their respective leagues this year (Conference Carolinas, Peach Belt Conference).

Individually, Lenoir-Rhyne University sophomore Kate Griewisch won the race with a 6K time of 22:35. The South Atlantic Conference Runner of the Year, Griewisch finished seven seconds ahead of Anderson (S.C.) University sophomore Whitney Bishoff (22:42), her counterpart in the Conference Carolinas. Bishoff and Griewisch will compete in the national meet as individuals. Bishoff is making her second trip to nationals; she ventured to Pennsylvania for the 2008 event.

The host Wingate Bulldogs finished 12th with 325 points. Wingate was led by junior All-SAC performer Alicia Harbold, who finished 37th with a time of 25:36. Wingate freshman Melanie Wollenberg was 58th with a time of 26:23, while sophomore Lindsey Lippencott was 62nd with a time of 26:27.

The top 15 finishers earn All-Region laurels. Twenty-seven teams and 162 student-athletes competed in the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional women's cross country meet. The 2009 season marked the sixth consecutive year Wingate University has hosted the race.

Catawba College Senior Maleah Cole (Lexington, NC/C. Davidson HS) was 17th in the women's 6k, clocking in with a time of 34:45.

Men's 10K

Queens won the men's race for the third year in a row. The Royals placed five runners in the top 11 to post 28 points. Columbus State was second with 70 points, while Mars Hill College earned third place with 96 points. The Royals, Cougars and Lions earn trips to nationals by virtue of today's performances.

Queens senior Oscar Ogwaro defended his regional title by edging CSU junior Meshack Koyiaki at the tape. In the battle of conference Runners of the Year, both student-athletes finished in 31:14. Ogwaro's lean helped him add another trophy to compliment his 2008 title.

For Queens, senior Futsum Mebrahtu was third with a time of 31:34. Juniors Simon Stuetzel and Nelson Mwangi were sixth (32:19) and eighth (32:33), respectively. Freshman Alex Schilling charted in the 11th position with a time of 33:04.

Columbus State had two runners in the top five. In addition to Koyiaki, junior Nicholas Kering was fourth with a time of 31:43. Prior to Saturday, Koyiaki had won every race he had entered this season. The Cougars will make their second straight appearance at the national championships.

Mars Hill returns to the national stage after a one-year absence. The top finisher for the SAC champion Lions was junior Kit Powell, who claimed the 10th spot with a time of 32:58. Powell had a busy day, as he returned to Mars Hill after the race so he could play in the Lions' marching band. MHC sophomore Justin Gragg also earned a spot on the All-Region team; he placed 13th with a time of 33:08.

UNC Pembroke freshman Pardon Ndhlovu and Clayton State junior Fidelis Mutiso each qualified for the national championship meet as individuals. Both runners qualified as the highest-ranking individuals from non-qualifying teams. Ndhlovu was fifth with a time of 32:14, while Mutiso was seventh with a time of 32:22.

The host Wingate Bulldogs finished eighth with 241 points. Wingate senior Doug Coats led the Bulldog charge with a 30th place finish. The All-SAC honoree posted a 34:15 10K time. Sophomore Tesfom Mehari was 34th with a time of 34:30. Senior David Sanctis was 47th with a 35:10 posting. Coats, Mehari and Sanctis represented Wingate on the 2009 All-SAC teams.

The top 15 finishers earn All-Region laurels. Twenty-six teams and 159 student-athletes competed in the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional men's cross country meet. The 2009 season marked the sixth consecutive year Wingate University has hosted the race.

Tusculum College junior Simon Holzapfel finished ninth. Holzapfel, the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Runner of the Year, finished with a time of 32:45 on the 10K layout. It marked the first time this season that Holzapfel did not claim individual meet honors in his six races this fall.

Catawba freshman Chrisitan Crifasi (Ramseur, NC/E. Randolph HS) had the top finish for the Catawba men as he ran the 10k course in a time of 33:44 to place 20th. Crifasi's time was the second best 10k time in school history behind the record 33:09 from Ryan Willis. Cole's time was the fifth fastest 6k time, two seconds better than her time earlier this season in the pre-regional meet.

Men
1. Queens 28, 2. Columbus St. 70, 3. Mars Hill 96, 4. Lees-McRae 147, 5. Clayton St. 171, 5. UNC Pembroke 178, 7. Erskine 209, 8. Wingate 241, 9. Lenoir-Rhyne 259, 10. Mount Olive 268, 11. Georgia C&SU 342, 12. Anderson 357, 13. North Georgia 363, 14. Flagler 393, 15. St. Andrews 403, 16. Catawba 443, 17. Pfeiffer 470, 18. Brevard 492, 19. Carson-Newman 503, 20. Lincoln Memorial 525, 21. Limestone 537, 22. Francis Marion 586, 23. Belmont Abbey 610

Women
1. Columbus St. 68, 2. Queens 69, 3. Lees-McRae 104, 4. Georgia C&SU 171, 5. Augusta St. 190, 6. Montevallo 204, 7. Lenoir-Rhyne 233, 8. Limestone 256, 9. Clayton St. 276, 10. Anderson 293, 11. Converse 323, 12. Wingate 325, 13. UNC Pembroke 338, 14. Carson-Newman 341, 15. North Greenville 345, 16. Pfeiffer 377, 17. Catawba 389, 18. Lincoln Memorial 410, 19. USC Aiken 439, 20. Erskine 483, 21, St. Andrews 577, 22. Mars Hill 610, 23. Francis Marion 628