Freshman Brown Leads B-CU with Win in JU Short Course Duals
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman cross country kicked off their season Friday, opening with the JU Short Course Duals, hosted by Jacksonville University. The Wildcats showed a marked improvement in the first meet out of the gate, with freshman Ricy Brown winning the men's meet and junior college transfer Kadian Dunkley finished fourth for the women.
The immediate impact of B-CU cross country newcomers has been seen in Jacksonville this evening, with the Wildcats making significant strides in rankings. A recent football convert, freshman Ricy Brown ran a time of 16:30.57 to win the meet on the 4,881 meter course. Also turning in upper tier performances, Curtis Riggins finished tenth with a time of 18:24.26, while Jaquell Phillip came in 12th at 19:05.84.
In the dual format, the B-CU men defeated host team Jacksonville by nearly five cumulative minutes but came out just behind Stetson by seven seconds and one minute below Savannah State.
For the women junior college All-American Kadian Dunkley finished fourth, just over four seconds behind first at 13:11.30 on the 3,300m course. JU's top three finished ahead of her, each crossing the finish line within two-tenths of a second. Running without 2010 leader, Ileis Figueroa, the Lady Wildcats were grouped together ranging from 26th to 30th.
For the women, B-CU finished in a loss to each team from the field, with the closest finish just under three minutes behind Stetson.
For the complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
Pirates, Lady Pirates Finish Fourth At UMES Lid-Lifter
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The Hampton University men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2011 season with fourth-place finishes at the Hampton Inn/Maryland Eastern Shore Lid-Lifter Invitational on Saturday at the UMES Cross Country Course.
The Pirates finished with 149 points, while the Lady Pirates had 123 points.
Junior Xavier Fraction paced the Pirates with a 29:10.77 over the 8K course to come in 25th, while sophomore Jaleel Rogers came in 27th with a 29:52.31. Sophomore Je'Von Hutchison ran a 30:59.25 to come in 31st.
Freshman Mohamed Labor-Koroma finished 34th with a 32:30.97, while freshman Edose Ibadin was 35th with a 32:38.98.
Sophomore Nichelle Harris completed the women's 5K course in 20:21.81 to finish a team-best 36th, while sophomore Devyn Thompson came in 37th with a 20:24.91 and sophomore Alaine Tate was 39th with a time of 20:32.69.
Junior Shaquanda Gainey ran a 20:49.94 to finish 47th, while sophomore Cydney Robinson ran a 22:35.02 to come in 70th and sophomore Maressa Pinnock was 74th with a 23:30.24.
The U.S. Naval Academy took both the men's and women's team titles - the men had 31 points, while the women won with 15 points. Josef Tessema of Norfolk State won the men's individual title with a course-record 24:59.12.
Navy's Jess Palacio won the women's individual crown with a 17:41.49.
For the complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Men's Cross Country Finishes Third In Lid-Lifter
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -- Maryland Eastern Shore Men's Cross Country team finished third place with a final score of 117 as it opened the 2011 season Saturday. In its first race of the season, the Hawks Basil Melek finished seventh in the Hampton Inn Salisbury/UMES Lid-Lifter Invitational.
Melek finished with a time of 25:53.08 to lead the Hawks Saturday. Junior Zavior Brown had the team's second best time, finishing in 21st with a time of 27:33.94. Senior Shadrick Maritim finished in 30th place for UMES with a time of 30:31.59. Six other Hawks finished the 42-man field.
Codjo Gbedo and Donohue Williams finished in times of 31:00.97 and 32:30.41, respectively. Gbedo placed 32nd while Williams came in 33rd.
Alonzo Jarmon and Shaquille Turner finished just under two minutes apart. Jarmon placed 36th with a time of 33:25.70. Turner crossed the finish line at 35:15.44. Kraig Webb finished the Lid-Lifter in a 38:00.59, while Jermol Dix finished 42nd in 39:36.20.
UMES Finishes Fifth In Lid-Lifter Invitational
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. --Eunice Jones had a team-best finish with a time of 20:28.23 to lead the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the Hampton Inn/UMES Lid-Lifter Invitational. The Hawks finished fifth with 152 total points.
Sophomore Hana Jiraskova gave the Hawks its second finish when she placed 55th running a time of 21:07.65. Cynthia Anais and Melina finished 57th and 63rd in times of 21:11.66 and 21:39.61, respectively.
Kenesha Abrams, Jennell Wade, and Latasha Moore all finished with sub-30-minute times. Abrams completed the race in 24:03.33. Wade and Moore finished one place apart with times of 28:06.39 and 29:52.24, respectively. Monique Williams came in at 31:16.04, while Courtney Cray completed the UMES field in a time of 37:35.53.
For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com