Patriot cross country teams finish 5th and 9th at Peach Belt Championship Meets

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA - The Francis Marion University men's and women's cross country teams finished fifth and ninth respectively at the Peach Belt Conference Championship Meets, held Saturday morning (Oct. 25), while Patriot runners Hillary Kiprop and Kelly May earned All-Conference honors.

For the third straight year, Columbus State University captured both the men's and women's team titles.

CSU's David Marley won the men's individual title as he covered the 8,000-meter course in 27:18, while Kiprop placed third in 27:26. 

Kiprop, who was named the conference's Runner of the Year at an event on Friday night, also earned All-Conference recognition with his finish.  His showing was the second-highest ever for a Patriot men's runner, bested only by David McIntosh winning the PBC individual title in 1992.

The Columbus State men finished with a 26 team score, followed by Clayton State University (42), Georgia College & State University (100), North Georgia College & State University (109), Francis Marion (143), and UNC Pembroke (150).

Other FMU finishers included sophomore Jerry Roth in 30th position (30:29), senior Steven Holmes in 33rd (30:40), senior Dan Brann in 38th (31:14), sophomore Ben Miller in 39th (31:34), and junior Adam Wilson in 43rd (33:11).

Clayton State's Allison Kreutzer won the women's 5,000-meter race in a time of 19:25, while May earned All-Conference honors with her sixth-place finish in 20:59.9. 

May's finish equaled the highest ever for a Patriot runner and the highest in 16 years.  Jennifer Vallejo placed sixth in the 1992 race.  May also earns All-PBC honors for the third time, as the senior from Bowling Green, Ohio, also garnered honors in 2006 and 2005.  She becomes only the second Patriot cross country runner to accomplish that feat, joining Emily Reid (1998, 1999, 2000).

Other Patriot finishers in the women's race were junior Amanda Doyle in 41st place (22:58), junior Kimberly Richardson in 57th (24:21), freshman Samantha Smith in 60th (24:56), junior Holly Todd in 67th (27:30), and junior Amanda Booker in 70th (29:54).

In the women's team standings, CSU finished with a 33 score, followed by Augusta State University (54),  North Georgia (110), GCSU (126), USC Aiken (150), UNCP (160), Lander University (165), Clayton State (172), Francis Marion (231), and Georgia Southwestern State University (313).

Both FMU squads will compete in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Meet, Nov. 8, in Wingate, N.C.