Anderson Claims Food Lion SAC Women’s Cross Country Championship

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. - Anderson women's cross country won the 2011 Food Lion SAC Championship on Saturday, edging Lenoir-Rhyne for the program's second-straight conference title.

The Trojans topped L-R by three points and had four individuals finish in the top 15. Anderson's runners finished the 5K race in an average time of 20:26.12, barely a half-second faster than the Bears' average pace.

Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne also had the event's top two individual finishers - and the past two SAC Runners of the Year - in AU's Whitney Bishoff and L-R's Kate Griewisch. In the final SAC race for both of the decorated student-athletes, Griewisch finished first in the Championship, earning Runner of the Year honors with a time of 18:09.

Bishoff's second-place finish was nearly a half-minute behind Griewisch, but was enough to lead Anderson to the team championship. The Trojans also got a top-10 individual performance from sophomore Hannah Robles, who finished ninth.

Wingate placed third in the team standings and was paced by All-Conference performer Keeley Wood, whose time of 19:26.5 was the third-best individual mark.

Carson-Newman, led by Hannah Reese's first-team All-Conference performance, finished fourth, followed by Mars Hill and Lincoln Memorial.

Brevard came in seventh at the Championship, paced by Madison Hill, who finished with the event's fourth-best individual time, earning her SAC Freshman of the Year honors.

In eighth place was Newberry, followed by Catawba at No. 9 and Tusculum at No. 10.

Completing the All-Conference first team - which recognizes the Championship's top seven finishers - were LMU's Sofia Lopez Mimendi, who placed fifth, and L-R's Ashley Kale, who finished at No. 6.

Also announced at Saturday's post-race ceremony was the 2011 SAC Scholar-Athlete Award, which went to Griewisch for the third-straight season. The Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes one individual from each SAC sport for a combination of academic, athletic and community leadership excellence.

Finally, Anderson's Randy Greer was selected as the SAC Coach of the Year following his team's championship.

COMPLETE 2011 FOOD LION SAC CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Team Results
1. Anderson, 60
2. Lenoir-Rhyne, 63
3. Wingate, 74
4. Carson-Newman, 119
5. Mars Hill, 125
6. Lincoln Memorial, 129
7. Brevard, 162
8. Newberry, 217
9. Catawba, 243
10. Tusculum, 288

SAC Runner of the Year: Kate Griewisch, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Freshman of the Year: Madison Hill, Brevard
SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kate Griewisch, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Coach of the Year: Randy Greer, Anderson

All-Conference First Team
Kate Greiwisch, Lenoir-Rhyne
Whitney Bishoff, Anderson
Keeley Wood, Wingate
Madison Hill, Brevard
Sofia Lopez Mimendi, Lincoln Memorial
Ashley Kale, Lenoir-Rhyne
Hannah Reese, Carson-Newman

All-Conference Second Team
Jessica Viscusi, Mars Hill
Hannah Robles, Anderson
Brianna Stevens, Wingate
Angela Canale, Brevard
Cassie Adamson, Mars Hill
Amber Stoerp, Lincoln Memorial
Amanda Johnson, Anderson

All-Freshman Team
Madison Hill, Brevard
Jessica Viscusi, Mars Hill
Sydney Hazel, Anderson
Rebecca Eddy, Newberry
Hanna Ramirez, Lenoir-Rhyne