NOVEMBER 14, 2007 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

SMC Cross Country Preparing For National Half-Marathon

Pioneers Coming Off Top 20 Showings At  NJCAA Nationals 

SPARTANBURG –  Spartanburg Methodist College and the City of Spartanburg will host the National Junior College Half Marathon this Saturday, with more than 200 runners from across the country participating. 

The SMC Cross Country teams are going into the half marathon following Top 20 showings at the NJCAA National Championship this past Saturday in Rend Lake, IL. 

The SMC women were led to an 18th place finish out of 33 teams by sophomore Becca Prichard, of Clemson, SC, who was named All American for her sixth place finish of 17:18, a new school record. 

Sophomore Kara Harper, of Duncan, SC, finished 81st  out of 235 runners, with freshman Jessica Foley, of Little Mountain, SC, coming in at 84th. 

The men were led to a 20th place finish out of 35 teams by Jeremy Vangsnes, of Cowpens, SC, who finished 49th overall out of 261 runners. Freshman DJ Mattison, of Anderson, SC, finished 75th. 

“We’ve had a tremendous season and record-breaking performances. To have such strong finishes at nationals is very exciting for our teams. Now we’re looking forward to the Half Marathon and focusing on some top finishes in that,” says SMC cross country coach Mike Foley. 

SMC and the City of Spartanburg also hosted the national Half Marathon Classic in 2005, and the event will be held in Spartanburg again in 2009, with Wichita, KS, hosting the 2008 event. 

The half marathon is open to any NJCAA college. Each participating team is allowed five runners in the event. 

The 13.1 mile road race starts at the Spartanburg YMCA and follows Pine Street, the Hub City Rail Trail and the Duncan Park area for two laps.  

“Hosting this event is a great privilege. It gives programs from across the country the chance to not only close out their season at a highly competitive event, but the chance to visit and experience Upstate South Carolina, if only for a day. This is a great event for the Spartanburg community to host,” says SMC Athletic Director Mark Perdue.

The 2008 NJCAA National Cross Country Championships will be held at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg. 

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 97th 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 please contact coach Mike Foley at (864) 298-4744 or athletic director Mark Perdue at (864) 587-4237. 

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