Spartanburg - Conference Carolinas kicked off their fall championship season with the Cross Country Championships at Milliken Arboretum in Spartanburg, SC. UNC Pembroke won the men's 8k race with a total of 48 points.
Though the men's field was very deep, the Trailblazers hung tough for an eighth-place finish. Stepping up huge was
Brennan Harp, who was the first Trailblazer to cross the line with a time of 26:29. Following him was
Thomas Schilling with a time of 26:33. Having an awesome personal best performance after battling injury was
Caleb McDowell, coming in right at 27:00. Next to cross the line was
Ben Jaminet, who finished with a personal best of 27:09. Rounding out the top five was Thaddeus Bertoni, who cracked into the top five for the first time this season and had an amazing race with a personal best of 27:25.
From Coach Stober
"Our men didn't have the day they were hoping for. We discussed last night at our team dinner how there could be eight teams battling for top three. Our plan was to go out aggressive and leave everything out there. Our guys did exactly that. They went for it, we just couldn't hang on. We aren't happy with an eighth place finish, but I am proud of how they ran. I told them before the race that I would rather us go out swinging that way than run a conservative race. They showed a lot of courage and guts by running the way they did. Though we didn't have the team finish we were hoping for, I'm still really proud of what this group of guys has done this season. We went into this season with a lot of question marks. But these guys had a much better season than most people were expecting. We just didn't have things go our way when it mattered the most. Regardless, they were super excited and supportive for what our women accomplished today. I'm proud of how they responded after the race.
I told the team today that what our women's team accomplished transcends just this year's team. It's a result of the others who have laid the foundation…both women and men. What our women did today wouldn't have been possible without the guys team. It wouldn't have been possible without the runners that came through this program before them. It wouldn't have been possible without the support of so many…parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, staff (athletic trainers, administration, professors, etc.) Most of all it wouldn't have been possible without God. I'm so grateful to Him for the group of young people that make up this program. For the ones that came before this team. For allowing us to stay as healthy as we did this season.
"Today is a day that all of us will never forget. It's something that we've worked so hard and so long for. We made history today. I'm so proud of this team. Only they know the work that was put in that led us to today. They deserve it. I'm just so proud, so happy, and so grateful."
