OCTOBER 8, 2007 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

SMC Cross Country Runners Set Pace At Crusader Classic
Vangsnes, Prichard Claim Second First Place Finishes For Season 

SPARTANBURG, SC – The SMC Cross Country teams put forth a strong showing Saturday at the Belmont Abbey Crusader Classic, coming away with a men’s team title and the men’s and women’s first place individual finishes.  

The SMC men’s team cross country team grabbed the team title as well as four of the individual top 10 spots. 

Sophomore runner Jeremy Vangsnes, of Cowpens, SC, finished with a first place time of  27:52:00 in the men’s 8K. He was followed across the line by fellow SMC freshman DJ Mattison, of Anderson, SC, who came in second with a 28:27:00. 

The men’s team was ranked No. 10 by the National Junior College Athletic Association going in to the Crusader Classic. 

On the women’s side, Sophomore Becca Prichard, of Clemson, SC, finished first in the women’s 5K with a time of 18:08:00, leading the No. 19 ranked SMC women’s team to a 4th place overall finish out of seven teams. 

Freshman Jessica Foley, of Little Mountain, SC, also placed in the Top 10, with a 20:52:00 finish. 

This was Vangsnes’ and Prichard’s second first place finish each this season – both placed first in their respective races at the Connie Maxwell Lander University Invitational the first week of the season. 

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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