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Saturday, September 5
Spartanburg, S.C.
All Day

Davidson College

at

Eye Opener at USC Upstate

Wildcat Men Take Home Team Title in Season Opener Image

Wildcat Men Take Home Team Title in Season Opener

9/5/2009 5:19:56 PM | Men's Cross Country


SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Davidson men's cross country team kicked off the 2009 season in grand fashion Saturday afternoon, coming in first place in the overall team scores in the Eye Opener at USC Upstate meet in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Wildcats scored 26 team points for the runaway victory, finishing 46 points ahead of the second-place squad from Furman. Four of the 20 teams in attendance were Southern Conference opponents, all of whom finished in the top-seven places.

“It was a good effort today for our guys,” said head coach Gary Andrew. “We wanted to get off to a strong start on the season, and we are happy with the results.”

Davidson placed three runners in the top-five overall finishers, and all five scorers finished in the top-ten out of the Division I competitors. Leading the way for Davidson was senior Lance Harden, who finished in second place overall with a mark of 25:29, which placed him in the top-ten 8K times in school history.

Right behind Harden in third place was sophomore Ryan Hopkins, who also placed in the Davidson top-ten list with his time of 25:36. Rounding out the Wildcat 2-3-4 sweep in fourth was junior Tom Divinnie, who tripped the tape in 25:39, which was a Davidson top-ten performance on this course.

Sophomore# Charlie Schmitt# brought home seventh-place with a time of 25:59, and junior Peter Bruton closed the scorers for the Wildcats with a mark of 26:24 and a tenth-place finish.

It was the first team victory for the Wildcats since taking the title at the Citadel Invitational in 2007, and is tied for the best finish by Davidson in three seasons.

The Wildcats will look to continue their strong start on Sept. 19 when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to take part in the Winthrop Invitational. Last season, Davidson finished fourth as a team in the meet, with Divinnie pacing the individual scoring with a fifth-place finish.