Tech runners earn strong fourth, sixth place finishes at Furman
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Sophomore Sam Taylor led a balanced effort
for the Tennessee Tech's men's cross country team, while the Golden
Eagle women had a second place finish from senior Stephanie Place
plus strong performances from Keri Light and Tiffany Palmer as both
teams earned high finishes in the challenging Furman Invitational
Saturday morning.
The Tech men placed sixth among 17 teams in the 8K race held at the
Furman Golf Course. Tech's women were fourth among 18 schools in
the 5K event.
A sophomore from Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., Taylor covered the course in
28:24 to place 33rd overall, one of four Golden Eagle runners with
Top 50 spots. Junior Ben Thompson was 38th in 28:30, and junior
Joseph DeLorenzo was right behind in 39th place with a time of
28:33. Just two spots back, Jarrad Read crossed the finish line in
28:35 for 31st place.
Peter Woerner was Tech's fifth counter, placing 56th in 29:32. Also
in the field for Tech, Ben Shassere was 65th in 29:40, while
freshman Ethan McGroom was 66th in 29:43.
Host Furman won the team title with 36 points while Samford was
second (57). Marshall (82) placed third, followed by North Florida
(107) and Barry (189) in fifth. Tech had 195 points for its sixth
place effort, with 11 schools finishing behind the Golden
Eagles.
In the women's race, two-time all-OVC runner Stephanie Place beat
138 of the other 139 runners, finishing in second place at 18:10 by
a mere four seconds behind Furman's Megan Lordi (18:10) for the
individual honors. It wa the seventh-fastest time in Tech
history.
Light was 12th in 19:40, while Palmer posted a 20:18 time to place
28th overall for the Golden Eagles. Freshman Traci Jones was next
for the Golden Eagles, finishing in 21:31 for 50th place, while
Ashley Evans was just behind in 51st place at 21:39. Amanda Simmons
(22:01) was 62nd and Sarah Kmet (26:19) was 92nd in the field of
140 runners.
In the team standings, the top two squads switched places with
Samford (38) first and Furman (47) second. College of Charleston
(140) was third, matching Tech's 140 points but earning the higher
spot with its sixth runner. USC Upstate (145) rounded out the top
five, with 13 teams trailing.
The Tech teams run their final regular season event next Saturday
(Oct. 18) at Evansville, then take two weeks to prep for the Ohio
Valley Conference meet on Nov. 1.
