Elon Phoenix Cross Country Gears Up for adidas XC Challenge on Friday

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in their second meet of the season this Friday, Sept. 15, as the Phoenix heads to the adidas XC Challenge at the WakeMed Soccer Park Cross Country Course. The men’s ‘White’ 6K race is set to begin at 6:10 p.m. while the women’s ‘White’ 5K run starts at 6:35 p.m.

Live Results | Meet Info

Follow @EU_XCTF
Updates of the meet will be posted on Twitter at the programs’ handle, @EU_XCTF. Other updates will also be provided at the handle, @elonscores. There will be live results of the meet that can be found on the programs’ schedule page at elonphoenix.com.

About the Field
The adidas XC Challenge will host a grand total of 546 athletes (247 men, 299 women) between all four collegiate races on Friday. Both Elon programs will compete in the ‘White’ race which will consist of 277 athletes (122 men, 155 women) from 15 Division I programs. Teams competing in the ‘White’ races with the Phoenix include Charleston Southern, Davidson, Duke (women only), East Carolina, Gardner-Webb, Mercer, Michigan (men only), North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, NC State, Richmond, UNCG, VCU and Wake Forest (women only).

Last Time Out
The Phoenix last competed in its season opener at its annual home meet, the Elon Opener, on Sept. 2. The Elon women took the team title at the meet, scoring 40 points to edge out other notable programs like North Carolina, High Point, UNCG and league foes College of Charleston and Delaware in the 4K race.

Seniors Brigid Brennan and Corey Weiss each had top-five finishes for the maroon and gold. Brennan led the way with a time of 14:40 and a third-place standing while Weiss was fourth at her time of 14:41. Sophia Tasselmyer and Chelsea Smith were the next finishers for Elon in the top-10, placing eighth (14:51) and ninth (14:52), respectively.

In the men’s 6K, Elon was third overall with 94 points behind Campbell (22) and UNC (44). Greg Paugh was the top runner for the maroon and gold as he finished 15th with a time of 19:29. Michael Germinario was next in 16th with his time of 19:31 while senior Justin Leopold was 18th at a time of 19:39. Colton Lawson finished 19th with a time of 19:39 while Richie Kasper was 26th after clocking a 19:56 in the race.

Elon Women Among the Best in the Region
The Elon women are currently ranked No. 12 in the Southeast Region, according to the latest regional rankings as released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Elon to Host the 2017 CAA Cross Country Championships
The Phoenix will host the 2017 CAA Cross Country Championships for the first time this fall on Saturday, Oct. 28. The meet will be the first cross country conference championship meet hosted at Elon since 2009.

Head Coach Kevin Jermyn
Kevin Jermyn will lead the Phoenix cross country teams in his first season as the head coach after taking reins of the programs in July. Jermyn arrived after spending the past year as the executive director of the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA). Prior to that, he was the head women’s cross country and associate track and field coach at Duke for 14 seasons (2000-14).

At Duke, Jermyn was an ACC Coach of the Year and a NCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year while leading the Blue Devils to second and third place finishes at the NCAA Championships in 2004 and 2005, respectively, while also capturing the ACC and Southeast Region titles. He also coached 18 athletes to a total of 41 NCAA All-America performances including a pair of NCAA individual champions.

Up Next
Following the adidas XC Challenge, the maroon and gold heads to Lehigh, Pa., for the Paul Short Run on Friday, Sept. 29.