Queens University of Charlotte
Appalachian State University, Covered Bridge Open
8/30/2008 6:34:11 PM | Women's Cross Country
Neville leads Royals
The Queens University of Charlotte Women's Cross Country team competed at the Appalachian State University Covered Bridge Open Friday evening. The Royals did not send a scoring team in order to focus on training in preparation for the championship portion of the season but still performed well ahead of early expectations. Florida State, the third place finisher from last year's NCAA Division I Championships finished in first place with a perfect score of 15 points.
Leading the way for the Royals was sophomore Jessica Neville (Charlotte, N.C., Haldane). Neville ran a conservative race, busting the rust from a summer of hard training. She trailed just behind the large pack of Clemson Tigers and finished the last mile hard to record a time of 19:57 for the 5k distance. Senior Katherine Carman (Terrace, Ohio, Ursuline Academy)was the next competitor across the line for Queens with a time of 22:01. Carman ran a smart and tactical race in her first return to competition after suffering a stress fracture last season. Carman used her senior experience to steadily move herself up through the pack and lead her other teammates. Freshmen Holly Annas (Granite Falls, N.C., South Caldwell)finished close behind Carman with a time of 22:07. Annas was aggressive early in the race; displaying the competitive nature and aggressive running that will have her atop the conference by the end of the year. Rounding out the team was senior Chandler Tribble (Clinton, S.C., Clinton)in her first ever cross-country race. Tribble stepped up from the 800-meter distance on the track this year in order to provide depth to the women's team. Tribble finished with a time of 24:09 after running a conservative first mile.
“I was very pleased with the way the women performed this weekend,” said Assistant Coach Jeff Gaudette. “Today was a chance to get the competitive juices flowing again and for the girls to get more experience racing. We have a young team and I expect them to do great things this year. Today was a great stepping-stone for our team and I am really excited about the promise the women showed today.”
The Royals will return to training for two weeks and will return to racing at the UNCC Bojangles Invitational on September 13th.
