One could say that last week the 2008 cross country season came in like a slight breeze. This week, the season was more like a thundering storm. Despite meet cancellations due to hurricanes Gustav and Hannah, including the Campbell and the Bob Gravett invitationals, there were a wide variety of meets all over the country.  As usual, readers are encouraged to comment on and contribute to this week’s article.

Joe I Vigil Open - The Adams State College men’s and women’s cross country teams  opened their  2008  season with teams wins at their home meet on Saturday. The women’s team scored 20 points for a win over Western who scored 42 points.  Fort Lewis and Regis finished third and fourth in the team race,  with 90 and 91 points respectively. Adam State senior, Heather Wood, captured the win with a 5k time of 17:55.  Wood was followed by teammate, Lavenna Mullenbach (18:05), and Western’s Julianne Payton (18:16).

Adams State’s men took the top three spots in the men’s race to score 19 points for the win over rival Western, who came in second with 39 points followed by Fort Lewis with 79 points. Reuben Chebon-Mwei ran a time of 24: 54 over the 5-mile course, leading teammate Aaron Braun, who finished five seconds behind him, to the line (24:59) .  Sophomore Ryan McNiff finished third for the second straight year in 25:07.    

 Eye Opener Invitational- With twenty-five non-division one teams competing, the Eye Opener Invitational held Saturday in Spartanburg, NC proved to be an early test for many southeast teams.  In the women’s team competition, Lenoir- Rhyne took the title with 89 points followed by Lees-McRae (108), Wingate (162), and Carson Newman (166).  Scoring a first place finish in the non-division one competition, and 12^th overall, was Carson Newman’s Aubrey Morris with a PR of 18:55 over the rolling 5k course.  Virginia Wise’s Brittany Killough (19:07) and Lenoir-Rhyne’s Genna Eisermann (19:21) rounded out the top three in the non-division one competition.

Mars Hill won the men’s competition with 61 points followed by Spartanburg Methodist (126), Wingate (137), and King College (153). Wingate’s Jayce Watson scored a first place finish in the non-division one competition, and third place overall, with an impressive time of 26:02 over the 8k course. Erskine’s Adam Groblewski (26:32) and Tusculum’s Simon Holzapfel (26:43) rounded out the top three in the non-division one competition.

Miner Invitational- Both of last year’s winners of the team competition returned to defend their titles and came back victorious. In the women’s team competition, Truman State repeated as the team champion with a total of 27 points followed by Lindenwood (68) and Drury (90).  Truman State runners Danna Kelly ( 19:26.8) and Michelle Gronemeyer (19:30.5) finished first and second on the 5k course. Evangel’s Kristen Ostrem (20:17.6) rounded out the top three.

In the men’s competition, Drury defended its title by placing five runners in the top ten and scoring 28 points. Drury was followed by Truman State (54) and Missouri Science and Technology (65).  Drury was led by first place finisher, Jaime Villa Zapatero, who won the meet in a time of 18:39 over the 8k course. Missouri Science and Technology’ alumni Joffroi Holcombe finished second in the race in 18:44, and Drury's Geoff Hughes took third in 18:57.

Rust Buster Invitational- In the first annual Rust Buster Invitational held by University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), both men and women’s squads finished first.  In the women’s team race, UCCS finished with 27 team points, while Mesa State and Colorado School of Mines were tied for second with 51.  UCCS’s Shannon Payne covered the 4k course in a time of 14:28 winning the race. Mesa State’s Esmerelda Martinez-Ramos took second, crossing the line at 15:22, and Colorado School of Mines’ Melanie Peddle was third in 15:26.

            In the men’s team race, UCCS posted 25 points for the win. The Oredigger Track Club was second with 47 points and Colorado College was in third with 85 points. UCCS swept the top three spots in the men’s 6k race with Dan Pinter (19:56), Gabe Small (20:18), and Alex Tiernan (20:34).

Georgia College and State Pre-Conference Meet- Georgia schools got a sneak peak of how they might measure up against each other at conferences this past Saturday at the preconference meet hosted by Georgia College.  In the women’s team competition, Columbus State took top prize with 36 points followed by Augusta State (42) and Georgia College (91). Clayton State’s State's Allison Kreutzer ran away from the field, finishing with a time of 18:45 over the 5k. Columbus State’s Brittany Skiles (19:18) finished second followed by teammate Kandace Smith (19:21).

            Columbus State’s men’s team posted a team total of 28 points for the win. Clayton State was second with 42 points followed by Georgia College with 89 points. Clayton State’s Fidelis Mutiso covered the 8k course in 26:07 to take top honors, just barely besting Francis Marion University’s Hilary Kiprop (26:08). Columbus State’s Dave Marley was third in 26:14.