Sports > September 18, 2008

By Chris Tumminello | Staff writer

The men’s and women’s cross country teams looked to improve on the success of their first meet at the UNC Challenge on Sept. 13. With only half the team’s members traveling for the meet, the Deacs were still able to earn a positive result.

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Sophmore Greg Billington finishes during the Sept. 13 UNC Challenge. The men’s cross country team finished fourth in a field of five teams. (Kelly Makepeace/Old Gold & Black)

On the women’s side, the team defeated both UNC-Chapel Hill and Campbell in head-to-head scoring while decisively earning three of the top five overall finishes. The head-to-head victories for the women come just two weeks after a convincing win at the Wake Forest Relays on Aug. 29.

Fifth-year senior Merry Placer and freshman Anna Nosenko both clocked in at a time of 18:29 to earn the second and third place spots respectively. Sophomore Marley Burns finished only one second behind her two teammates with a time of 18:30 to get fourth place overall.

As a result of solid individual performances, the women’s team has earned two consecutive wins to start the season.

“We are looking forward to the season ahead, especially after two consecutive wins,” Placer said. “The past couple meets have been relatively small, so we can’t wait to really push ourselves amongst the best competition in the nation.”

On the men’s side, the team finished fourth in a field of five teams, but continues to receive solid performances from its youth.

In the 8-kilometer run, the men’s top finisher was freshman Paul Loeser who placed 15th with a time of 28:21.22, while fellow freshman Ben Morrow finished in 17th with a time of 28:48.56.

The Tar Heels decisively won the men’s side of the meet, defeating the Deacs as well as the rest of the field consisting of Campbell, Milligan and North Carolina A&T.

With two meets down and plenty of road ahead, both teams plan to continue to improve and succeed.

“Much of running is mental, so anytime you are successful and feel like you have given a solid performance, you begin to get hungry for another chance to do the same,” Placer said.

The Deacs will get that chance when they return to action on Sept. 19 at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational in Blacksburg, Va.