LEES-MCRAE AND WINGATE TEAMS EARN

 SPOTS AT NATIONALS;

FIVE INDIVIDUALS QUALIFY FOR NATIONAL MEET AS WELL

Wingate N.C. ----The Southeast Region is sending the maximum number of participants to the NCAA Division II National women’s cross country meet in Joplin , Mo. on November 17. The top two teams and top five individuals (if not a member of a qualifying team) all get bids in the national. After the 6K race at Wingate University Saturday, Lees-McRae College and Wingate qualified as teams, but no members of either team had a spot in the top five. The depth exhibited by the Bobcats and the Bulldogs allowed five extra individuals a chance at a national berth.

            NCAA Division II Southeast Region Runner of the Year Stellah Sang finished the course first in a time of 23:32. The University of the District of Columbia sophomore still has not finished out of the top three in any race this season. Four juniors finished second through fifth starting with Anderson (S.C.) University’s Diana Willard, who finished in 23:45. 

South Atlantic Conference Runner of the Year Aubrey Morris of Carson-Newman College finished third with a time of 23:53. Last year, Morris won the regional and also qualified for nationals as an individual. St. Andrews Presbyterian College ’s Alyson Trovato was the last woman to finish under 24 minutes in fourth place at 23:56.  Lenoir-Rhyne College ’s Genna Eisenmann snagged the last national berth with a time of 24:04.

      Lees-McRae College placed four runners in the top 15, sophomore Dana Lindholm (eighth, 24:31), freshman April Harris (11th, 24:53), sophomore Ashley May (14th, 25:01) and sophomore Carla Swart (15th, 25:03) to earn a first-place team finish and a national bid with 70 points. 

               The final scorer for Lees-McRae was sophomore Gina Valenti in 24th (25:23), who was closely followed by junior teammate Demarea Colson (25:27). LMC veteran head coach Craig McPhail was voted NCAA Division II Southeast Region Coach of the Year by his peers.

               Junior Ashley Hubbard (Piney Flats, Tenn.) led Wingate to second-place finish on its home course, finishing in 16th-place with a time of 25:05. South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year Andrea Criscio (Westfield, Mass.) was the second Bulldog across the finish line in 21st-place (25:19). 

               Bulldog junior Amber Hines (Little Mountain, S.C.) recorded a time of 25:30 and crossed the finish with freshman Alicia Harbold ( Ephrata , Pa. , 25:31). Hines and Harbold finished 26th and 27th, respectively. Hines earned a spot at the 2006 national meet as an individual qualifier. Rounding out the scoring for the Bulldogs was senior Laura Berry (Raleigh , N.C. ) with a time of 25:56 (36th place).

               Other top 10 finishers included Mars Hill College senior Keely Hollahan (sixth, 24:19), Converse College senior Carrie Powell (seventh, 24:30), Coker College freshman Kendyl Searight (ninth, 24:43) and Queens University of Charlotte senior Whitney Dennis (10th, 24:50).

( Wingate University communication studies student intern Joe Aranyosi contributed this article. Joe Aranyosi is a senior from Akron , Ohio .)