Queens Wins 2015 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship
PINEVILLE, Ky. -- The Queens Royals landed all five runners in the top-10 to win the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship meet on Saturday in Pineville, Ky. Mars Hill's Alex Griggs was named the SAC Runner of the Year after completing the 8k course in 25:08.2, 10 seconds faster than anyone else in the competition.
The Royals finished with 34 points to beat out the Mars Hill Lions, who entered Saturday's race looking to claim their 19th-straight South Atlantic Conference Championship. For the first time in nearly two decades, the Lions had to settle for runner-up distinctions, completing the race with 44 points. Third-place Anderson was a distant third with 151 points, while fourth-place Lincoln Memorial (159), fifth-place Wingate (166) and sixth-place Catawba (174) rounded out the top half of the standings.
Coker (187), Brevard (209) and Lenoir-Rhyne (209) took the seventh, eighth and ninth place spots, while Carson-Newman (223), Tusculum (225) and Newberry (297) brought up the back of the pack.
Headlined by Alex Griggs, Mars Hill placed three runners on the All-SAC first team, as Griggs finished first, David Jones took fourth and Cesar Reyes was seventh. Queens' Yannick Stubbe was the individual runner-up, while his teammate Jimmy Hollingsworth finished in fifth. Wingate's Nepolian Patel claimed the final All-SAC first team spot in third place.
SAC Freshman of the Year Jose Rosas of Queens highlighted the All-SAC second team, which featured four Queens runners. Rosas was joined on the second team by his squad mates Elijah Inuwa, Henno Havenga and Ben Schmidt. The other three spots went to Brevard's Hassan Kiprono, Carson-Newman's Lachlan Dickie and Coker's Jacob Chebii.
Mars Hill and Lincoln Memorial led the All-SAC honorable mention team with two apiece.
The All-Freshman Team went as follows: Jose Rosas, Queens; Elijah Inuwa, Queens; Ben Schmidt, Queens; Jacob Chebii, Coker; Jerry Resor, Mars Hill.
The South Atlantic Conference's men's cross country programs now prepare for the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional meet, which is being held in Wingate, N.C. on November 7.
SAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year: Alex Griggs, Mars Hill
SAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year: Tsehaye Baney, Queens
SAC Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year: Jose Rosas, Queens
All-SAC first team
Alex Griggs, Mars Hill
Yannick Stubbe, Queens
Nepolian Patel, Wingate
David Jones, Mars Hill
Jimmy Hollingsworth, Queens
Mason Hazel, Anderson
Cesar Reyes, Mars Hill
All-SAC second team
Jose Rosas, Queens
Elijah Inuwa, Queens
Henno Havenga, Queens
Hassan Kiprono, Brevard
Lachlan Dickie, Carson-Newman
Ben Schmidt, Queens
Jacob Chebii, Coker
All-SAC honorable mention
Jerry Resor, Mars Hill
Jacob Troutman, Wingate
Brandon Beard, Mars Hill
Ben Boerma, Anderson
Avery Cypress, Queens
Blaine Benitez, Lincoln Memorial
Jorge Hernandez, Lincoln Memorial
All-Freshman
Jose Rosas, Queens
Elijah Inuwa, Queens
Ben Schmidt, Queens
Jacob Chebii, Coker
Jerry Resor, Mars Hill