Guilford runners show well at Great American Cross-Country Festival

CARY, N.C. – Guilford College junior Derick Kosgei (Eldoret, Kenya/Kipkabus Secondary (East Central)) set his third school record in as many races with a third-place finish in the Men’s 8000 Meter Run University Race of
Champions in Friday’s Great American XC Festival.

Kosgei completed the Wakemed Soccer Park Course in 25:07.1, over two minutes faster than the previous mark set by teammate Richard Rogers in last year’s meet. He set the Quakers’ five-kilometer and 6.4-kilometer record in the first two meets of the year.

Kosgei’s effort helped Guilford to a third-place finish in the 12-team event
featuring college teams from all divisions. Duke University, NCAA Division
I’s 10th-ranked team, won the meet with 26 points thanks to six runners in
the top 11. NCAA Division II University of North Carolina at Pembroke placed
second (74), followed by the Division III Quakers, who finished four points
ahead of Division I The Citadel.

The Quakers placed five runners in the top third of the 96-man race. Rookie
Chad Norton clocked the 12th-best time (26:27.1) and classmate Sean White
came in 22nd at 27:18.7. Rookies Dylan Skinner (27:41.6) and David Cason
(Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth) (27:42.3) placed 29th and 30th, respectively.
Duke’s Dominic Robinson won the race in 24:43.4.

Guilford’s women had four runners compete in the five-kilometer race earlier
and did not record a team score. Rookie Taylor Stokes (Advance, N.C./Davie
County) had the Quakers’ best finish (33rd) with a 20:12.7, nearly 17
seconds faster than her own school record set in the opening meet. Classmate
Colleen Gonzalez checked in with a time of 23:44, the 78th-fastest time in
the 100-runner field.

The U.S. Naval Academy claimed the women’s team title. North Carolina State
University came in second. Navy’s Jess Palacio won the individual crown in
17:35.1.

Guilford next runs in the North Carolina Collegiate Championships Oct. 16 on
the Quakers’ Meadows Course on campus.

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Complete Meet Results:
http://www.flashresults.com/2011_Meets/xc/GreatAmerican/
Dave Walters
Guilford College Athletics

One thought on “Guilford runners show well at Great American Cross-Country Festival

  1. Great job to Coaches Pinkerton and Cason. These 2 are building a strong program.

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