Peter Sang was again the highest finisher for the Fighting Hawks cross-country team, this time taking the gold medal and winning the 2007 University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Cappy Anderson Invitational.
Right behind him was teammate Amon Kiprotich and together they led the men’s cross-country team to a first place finish. Merrecia James was also again the women’s highest finisher as she took fifth place and led her Lady Hawks to the women’s meet title in a tightly contested race.
Sang crossed the line in 25:51.06, running just over five minutes a mile on the five mile course while Kiprotich was second with a time of 26:24.02. Solomon Kirongo wasn’t too far behind the leaders, taking sixth place with a time of 27:29.01. Nathaniel Taylor also posted a top ten finish for the maroon and grey, taking ninth in a time of 28:29.09. Samuel Mwangi rounded out the scoring for the Hawks in 12th with a time of 28:55.00.
All in all that totaled just 30 points and gave UMES the win over Seton Hall (SHU) who came in second with 42 points. Their highest finisher was Pawel Kornazewski who was third with a time of 26:39.07.
Howard took third, Coppin State fourth and Hampton took fifth. Morgan State rounded out the field in sixth place. Coppin State’s Anthony Littlejohn was fifth while Thurman Sanders and Michael Gallion were ninth and tenth respectively for the Bison of Howard.
Other top UMES finishers included Clayton James in 14th and Jerome Pyuzza in 25th.
On the women’s side James took fifth with a time of 18:37.03. While her time was better than the course record that she held, the race was won by Hampton’s Jahlisa Smith who crossed in a time of 18:07.09, shattering James’ mark of 18:53.83, set earlier this season.
Despite not crossing until fifth UMES won the meet, posting just 45 points as Betty Chumbe was seventh with a time of 18:40.05, Tamica Thomas was eighth with a 18:55.09, Celia Whyte was 12th with a 19:23.04 and Janeth Chelangat was right behind her in 13th with a 19:55.03
The Pirates took second and third, with Hampton second with 62 points and Seton Hall third with 71. Kerry Cahill took second with a time of 18:19.07 for SHU while Norfolk State’s Jennifer Chichester was third with a time of 18:20.00, her Spartans would finish sixth overall.
Howard was third in the meet as Ashley Hodges crossed first for their squad in fourth place with a time of 18:27.07 and Morgan State took fifth with Trisha LaForce coming in 14th. Coppin State rounded out the meet in seventh place.
The Hawks travel to Norfolk State next weekend, October 6th for the Norfolk Invitational.