SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

SMC Cross Country Opens Season With Titles
Prichard Sets New School Record, Men’s Team Claims 1st Place Team Title 

SPARTANBURG – The Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers cross country teams opened their season claiming both individual titles and the men’s team title Saturday at Lander University’s Connie Maxwell Invitational in Greenwood. 

The SMC men’s team finished first out of a field of 6 schools. Sophomore Jeremy Vangsnes, of Cowpens, finished at 27:25. Vangsnes’ finish puts him in SMC’s all-time Top 10. 

Freshman D.J. Mattison, from Anderson, and Sophomore Wells Johnson, from Charleston, both finished in the top ten at 28:56 and 29:03, respectively. Eleven runners from the SMC men’s team finished in the Top 40. 

Sophomore runner Becca Prichard, of Clemson, finished at 18:39, setting a new school record. The previous record of 19:17 was set in 2005 by SMC graduate Jocelyn Veit. Five members of the SMC women’s team had a Top 40 finish.  

The SMC women’s team finished 5th overall. 

“It was a good first meet for our teams,” said men’s and women’s cross country coach Mike Foley. “It was a solid team performance for both teams and we got excellent races out of Jeremy and Becca.”  

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.  

The College is in its 96th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. 

For more information, contact men’s and women’s cross country coach Mike Foley at (864) 325-5957. 

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