Records Fall As Mars Hill Sweeps Food Lion SAC Cross Country Championships

October 25, 2003

Wingate, N.C.----The Mars Hill College cross country teams swept the team titles and won five of the six individual awards at the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference cross country meet held this morning at the Wingate University cross country facility.

Runners cross over a hill on the campus of Wingate University during the running of the 2003 Food Lion Cross Country Championships Saturday. Mars Hill won the team championship.

Individually, course records fell in both the women's race and the men's race. In the women's 5K race, Tusculum College junior Amanda Musick won the event with a course-record time of 19:15. The former record was 19:18 (Amanda Cook, Lees-McRae, 2001). Musick was the only non-Mars Hill individual award winner.

In the men's 8K race, Mars Hill sophomore Craig Eckstein shattered his own course record by more than one minute with a time of 25:35. Earlier this fall, Eckstein won the Wingate University Cross Country Invitational with a then-record time of 26:55. Prior to this season, the course record (27:11) belonged to current Mars Hill assistant coach (and former Lion standout) Brock Bailey.

Tusculum's Amanda Musick nears the finish line, with Mars Hill's Kate Prichard close behind. Musick won the race with a course record time.

Musick and Eckstein earn SAC Runner of the Year honors with their victories. The SAC Freshman of the Year on the women's side is Mars Hill's Kate Prichard. The winner of the 2003 Wingate University Cross Country Invitational, Prichard finished second this afternoon with a time of 19:18.

The SAC Freshman of the Year for the men is Mars Hill's Jon Stoehr. The Wisconsin native completed today's event in 26:50, good enough for fifth place. The Lions claimed five of the top 12 spots to win their seventh straight men's team title with 35 points. Lenoir-Rhyne College finished second with 47 points, followed by Catawba College with 83 points and Carson-Newman had 86.

The Mars Hill women placed five runners in the top 14 to claim the SAC crown with 39 points. The Lions have won six of the last seven Food Lion SAC women's cross country titles. Carson-Newman College was second with 80 points. Tusculum took third place with 90 points. Host Wingate University was a close fourth place with 91 points.

Veteran Mars Hill College head coach Mike Owens was named South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year for both men's and women's cross country. Owens earns the award for men's cross country for the eighth straight year. He has won the women's coaching award five times.

Along with Eckstein, Mars Hill placed four more runners on the men's All-Conference teams. Second-place Lenoir-Rhyne placed three on the All-Conference squads. Carson-Newman and Catawba each placed a pair. Catawba's Ryan Willis, last year's race winner as a freshman, finished second, nearly one minute behind Eckstein's record run.

Tusculum's Ross Lewis and Wingate freshman Brad Topper rounded out the men's All-Conference team. Topper (Thurmont, Md.) ran his best race as a collegian, finishing the 8K course in 27:00. On the team charts, the Wingate men finished fifth with 114 points.

Mars Hill paced the women's All-Conference team with five representatives. Carson-Newman had three All-SAC runners. Margaux Cowan-Banker, last year's Freshman of the Year, earned First Team honors by finishing fourth overall

Wingate had a pair of All-Conference runners as sophomore Natalie Creech (Pennington Gap, Va.) earned first team laurels. Creech placed third with a personal-best time of 19:19.

Creech was joined on the all-league team by sophomore Lindsay Boldt (Spring Hill, Fla.). A second team selection in 2002, Boldt returned to the second team by placing 10th with a season-best time of 20:12. Catawba, Presbyterian and Lenoir-Rhyne had one honoree each.

All eight South Atlantic Conference schools will compete in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals Saturday, Nov. 8. The event will be held at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C. The NCAA Division II national championship meet will be held at the same venue on Nov. 22.

2003 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship Results

Craig Eckstein of Mars Hill won the 2003 Food Lion SAC Championship in record time and was named Runner of the Year.

Jon Stoehr of Mars Hill is the 2003 SAC Freshman of the Year for men's cross country. Stoehr was the top freshmman finisher in the men's race, and finished fifth overall.

Finish Team Points
1 Mars Hill 35
2 Lenoir-Rhyne 47
3 Catawba 83
4 Carson-Newman 86
5 Wingate 114
6 Tusculum 176
7 Presbyterian 194
8 Newberry 215

Men's Runner of the Year: Craig Eckstein, Mars Hill

Men's Freshman of the Year: Jon Stoehr, Mars Hill

Men's Coach of the Year: Mike Owens, Mars Hill

All-SAC Teams
First Team Craig Eckstein, Mars Hill
Ryan Willis, Catawba
Nolan Winters, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jose Zavala, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jon Stoehr, Mars Hill
James Thompson, Mars Hill
Eric Malkowski, Carson-Newman
Second Team
Brad Topper, Wingate
Adam Stewart, Lenoir-Rhyne
Ross Lewis, Tusculum
Corey Simons, Mars Hill
Bobby Beeson, Mars Hill
Brad Heron, Catawba
John Miklas, Carson-Newman

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2003 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship Results

Tusculum's Amanda Musick was the top finisher in the 2003 Food Lion SAC Women's Cross Country Championship and was named SAC Runner of the Year.

Kate Prichard of Mars Hill was the top freshman finisher in the Food Lion SAC Women's Cross Country Championship and was named Freshman of the Year.

Finish Team Points
1 Mars Hill 39
2 Carson-Newman 80
3 Tusculum 90
4 Wingate 91
5 Presbyterian 115
6 Catawba 117
7 Lenoir-Rhyne 151
Newberry DNS

Women's Runner of the Year: Amanda Musick, Tusculum

Women's Freshman of the Year: Kate Prichard, Mars Hill

Women's Coach of the Year: Mike Owens, Mars Hill

All-SAC Teams
First Team
Amanda Musick, Tusculum
Kate Prichard, Mars Hill
Natalie Creech, Wingate
Margaux Cowan-Banker, Carson-Newman
Rachel Retallick, Mars Hill
Greta Statler, Mars Hill Rori Godsey, Catawba
Second Team
Jennifer Sauceman, Carson-Newman
Tanith Forrester, Presbyterian
Lindsay Boldt, Wingate
Tina Schowiak, Carson-Newman
Tabatha Lee, Mars Hill
Whitney Heavner, Lenoir-Rhyne
Kristen Shipley, Mars Hill