BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. --- The Tusculum College men's and Women's cross country teams competed at the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference championship meet, held Saturday at the Montreat College Course.

Led by an eighth-place finish from junior David Cooper, the Pioneer men finished eighth overall while the Tusculum women took ninth place in the field of 12 schools.

MEN
Cooper earned his second consecutive top-10 finish at the SAC championship meet, turning in a time of 26:15.8 over the 8,000-meter course. With his eighth-place finish, Cooper earned a spot on the SAC All-Conference team for the second year in a row.

Sophomore Lawson Burrow placed 34th with a time of 28:07.4, followd by junior Zachary Simpson in 46th place at 28:44.3. Freshman Cory Ramsey crossed the line in 87th place with a time of 33:41.7, and senior James Clay was the Pioneers' final runner as his time of 41:27.3 was 95th place in the final standings.

Mars Hill continued its streak of dominance with its 17th consecutive conference championship, placing four runners in the top 10 and finishing with 33 points. Conference newcomer Queens was second with 77 points, followed by Anderson in third (113 points), Brevard (117 points) and Lincoln Memorial (122 points) in the top five. Wingate (141 points) in sixth place and Lenoir-Rhyne (146 points) in seventh preceded the Pioneers' total of 242 points in the final standings.

Felix Duchampt of Queens was the individual champion as he crossed the line in 25:18.0, 27 seconds ahead of runner-up Alex Griggs of Mars Hill. Derek Gibson of Mars Hill was third, followed by Josh Mower of Brevard and David Jones of Mars Hill to round out the top five.

WOMEN
Freshman Samantha Johns paced the Pioneers with a 31st-place finish in a time of 21:11.8 across the 5,000-meter course. She was followed by sophomore Maggie Bernabei who was 46th in 21:44.5, with sophomore Paige Bible taking 67th place in 22:47.0.

Senior Kim Brown took 74th place with a time of 23:06.9, and junior Ashley Gregg was the fifth scorer for the Pioneers in 87th place at 24:13.0. Also competing for Tusculum were sophomore Allison Hall, who placed 93rd in 24:45.9, and junior Lakesa Hendrix, who was clocked in 25:15.5 for a 98th-place finish.

Wingate swept the top four positions in the individual standings to claim the team title with 19 points, followed by Queens (60 points), Mars Hill (98 points), Anderson (112 points) and Lenoir-Rhyne (145 points). Brevard (167 points) was sixth, followed by Lincoln Memorial (191 points), Catawba (245 points) and Tusculum (254 points) in ninth.

Keeley Wood of Wingate took the individual championship with a winning time of 18:47.3, with teammate Brittany Tretbar 16 seconds behind in second place. Bulldog teammates Morgan Neher and Alyssa Johnson were third and fourth, respectively, with Jessica Viscusi of Mars Hill in fifth.

The Pioneers will compete at the NCAA Southeast Region meet in two weeks at McAlpine Park in Charlotte.

- TC -

2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships
at Montreat College, Black Mountain, N.C.

Men's Team Results
Pl. Team Pts
1 Mars Hill 33
2 Queens 77
3 Anderson 113
4 Brevard 117
5 Lincoln Memorial 122
6 Wingate 141
7 Lenoir-Rhyne 146
8 TUSCULUM 242
9 Carson-Newman 263
10 Newberry 269
11 Catawba 270
12 Coker 297

Tusculum Men's Individual Results
Pl. Runner Time
8 David Cooper 26:15.8
34 Lawson Burrow 28:07.4
46 Zachary Simpson 28:44.3
87 Cory Ramsey 33:41.7
95 James Clay 41:27.3

Women's Team Results
Pl. Team Pts
1 Wingate 19
2 Queens 60
3 Mars Hill 98
4 Anderson 112
5 Lenoir-Rhyne 145
6 Brevard 167
7 Lincoln Memorial 191
8 Catawba 245
9 TUSCULUM 254
10 Carson-Newman 276
11 Newberry 293
12 Coker 297

Tusculum Women's Individual Results
Pl. Runner Time
31 Samantha Johns 21:11.8
46 Maggie Bernabei 21:44.5
67 Paige Bible 22:47.0
74 Kim Brown 23:06.9
87 Ashley Gregg 24:13.0
93 Allison Hall 24:45.9
98 Lakesa Hendrix 25:15.5