The 2014 USA South Championship meet will be held at Hagan Stone Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. This has been the site of the championship meet each of the three seasons the Piedmont programs have been in the USA South. This will mark the second time this season the Lions and Lady Lions have run at Hagan Stone Park as they competed at the Greensboro Invitational at the end of September giving them a preview of the course.
FIRST YEAR SUCCESS
Head Cross Country Coach Jeff Jenkins was hired in June of 2014 and is concluding his first season at the helm of the Lion and Lady Lions harriers after leading the team to new heights this season. For the men’s cross country team, Jenkins coached the Lions to the second best average time in school history with a 29:32 team average in the final meet of the regular season at the Berry Invitational. This marked the first time since October of 2010 that the Lions had four men run under 30:00 in the 8k. On the women’s side, the four returners from the 2013 squad are all part of the top five with newcomer Ashley Brunner taking the other spot in the top five in the last regular season meet of the year. This marked the first season Piedmont has had two girls break 26:00 in the 6k in one meet since the 2011 GSAC Championship and the first time the Lady Lions have ever had four athletes under 27:00 in a single meet in school history.
PRESEASON POLL
The men’s cross country progam was selected to finish 3rd in the USA South, the same spot the team finished a season ago in the championship meet, and it marked the second straight year the men have been picked preseason to be in the top three. The men picked up a preseason number one vote in the poll with Covenant taking the top spot earning four first place votes and Maryville taking second with three first place votes. The women’s team was picked 5th in the conference after a 3rd place finish in 2013 with four of the top six from a season ago returning. Meredith was picked as the preseason favorite taking 10 of the 11 first place votes as the Avenging Angels are the reigning conference champions. Taking the remaining first place vote was Covenant as the Scots finished in 2nd in the preseason poll.
12 NEW PERSONAL RECORDS
Twelve of the 13 athletes on the men’s and women’s rosters have set new personal records this season with many making huge strides. On the men’s side every athlete has seen a new career best this season including Cory McClung, Esteban Salazar, Alec Jameson and Rily Passini all seeing their best 8k time in their last outing at the Berry Invitational. Cody Parker moved under 28:00 this season with a 27:5040 at the Greensboro Invitational, the same site as the championship meet, while Bryce Thorson improved to 29:20.74 cutting over two minutes off his first 8k of the season. On the women’s side, three freshman have continued to improve this season including Ashley Brunner moving her way into the women’s top three. The top two returners, sophomores Carrie Ruis and Megan Lawhead, both moved under 26:00 this season with Ruis running 25:38.80 and Lawhead finishing in 25:56.30 at the Berry Invitational. Fellow sophomore Isabella Brown cut over 1:45 off her time from the Maryville Invitational to the Berry Invitational running a 26:58.40 in the final meet of the regular season.
SECOND VISIT TO GREENSBORO
In late September when Piedmont got a preview of Hagan Stone Park at the Greensboro Invitational, the Lions and Lady Lions finished as the top Division III school at the meet as well as having the top D-III individual at the competition. Sophomore Cody Parker led the men’s team, as he has in every race he has finished in his career with the Green and Gold, running his lifetime best time of 27:50.40. For the Lady Lions, it was sophomore Carrie Ruis who continued to lead the pack in 2014 who ran a 21:46 in the 5k. At the event, 12 of the 13 athletes competing for the Green and Gold set new season-bests and while seven personal bests were recorded on that course.
LAST TIME OUT: BERRY INVITATIONAL
The Piedmont College Cross Country teams previewed the regional course at the Berry Invitational Saturday, October 18 and paced themselves against conference competition with both the Lions and Lady Lions finishing ahead of USA South foes Maryville and Methodist. Unofficially, the Lions finished 13th while the Lady Lions finished 12th.
For the men, they finished with four Lions under thirty minutes, finishing with the second best time in school history with a 29:32 team average, with four personal bests set as well while on the women’s side, five lifetime bests were set.
