NSU Sharks News

Women total 83 points

Miami, Fla. (Sept. 4, 2009) - After an hour-long weather delay, the Nova Southeastern University men's and women's cross country teams got the 2009 campaign underway in stellar fashion at the Greentree Invitational on Friday evening at Larry & Penny Thompson Park. The men's team came away with the team title, while the women's team finished fourth.

"With the weather postponement of the meet and having to warm-up several times, both teams exceeded my expectations today," said head coach Bryan Hagopian. "I'm really proud of the guys. They really stepped it up today. Our goal was to run hard and stay close in a pack. Even with one of our top runners out, we were able to achieve this goal. For the women, our goal and focus was to see where we were at and stay together in a pack. We did that and now we know what we need to work on for the rest of the season."

In the men's 5K race, three Sharks finished in the top 10. Brendan Chwalek (Fr., Sellersburg, Ind.) and Kevin Meagher (Fr., Mansfield, Mass.) paced NSU with fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively. Chwalek covered the course in a time of 16:15.42, while Meagher was right behind with a time of 16:15.68. Agustin Rey (Jr., Coral Springs, Fla.) took eighth with a time of 16:20.36.

Brian Alexander (Fr., Naples., Fla.) crossed the finish line in a time of 16:38.60 and placed 15th, while John Besharat (Jr., Miami, Fla.) was 17th with a time of 16:43.69. Jonathan Junkins (So., Lecanto, Fla.) ran 16:50.02 and was 22nd. Michael Whitehead (Fr., Florence, Ky.) and Mike Greiner (Fr., Palm Coast, Fla.) were 25th and 26th, respectively. Whitehead ran 16:52.87, while Greiner covered the course in a time of 16:55.84.

Joe Peña (Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.) and Chris Jacob (So., Naples, Fla.) were 29th (17:11.64) and 30th (17:16.03), respectively. Robert Rowe ran 17:27.14 and placed 33rd. Nico Crecco (Fr., Mendon, N.Y.) and Kevin Yarbrough (Fr., Addison Ill.) rounded out the men's side. Crecco was 45th with a time of 18:22.47 and Yarbrough placed 54th with a time of 21:51.04.

In the team standings, NSU totaled 40 points, edging out Florida Atlantic by two points for the team crown. Florida Gulf Coast was third with 77 points. Host Miami compiled 90 points and was fourth. Florida Atlantic's unattached runners totaled 118 points en route to a fifth-place finish.

On the women's side, Krystal Porter (Sr., Raytown, Mo.) led the Sharks with a sixth-place finish. Porter covered the 5K course in a time of 19:53.92. Tara Haddock (Sr., Citrus Springs, Fla.) ran 20:21.88 and placed 15th. Juliana Tabares (Fr., West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Alice Henley (Sr., Plantation, Fla.) were just behind in 17th and 18th places, respectively. Tabares crossed the finish line in a time of 20:28.90, while Henley ran 20:30.28. Rounding out the women's team was Kristina Williams (Fr., Fort Worth, Texas) and StacyAnn Daley (So., Orlando, Fla.). Williams ran 23:18.01and finished 39th, while Daley was 42nd with a time of 26:23.25.

Florida Gulf Coast won the women's team title with 42 points. Florida Atlantic was second with 48 points and host Miami was third with 57 points. NSU totaled 83 points for a fourth-place team finish, while Florida International was fifth with 129 points.

NSU men's and women's cross country teams return to action Saturday, Sept. 12 when the Sharks travel to Orlando for the UCF Black & Gold Invitational. The men's race is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., while the women's race is set to go off at 9:15 a.m., at the UCF Cross Country Complex.

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