Nov. 1, 2008

MACON, Ga. - The Owls delivered strong performances at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships in Macon, Ga., but they were unable to overtake ETSU and Belmont, as they took home third place on Saturday, November 1.

"The men ran their best today," Head Coach Stan Sims said. "Sometimes you just get outran, and today we did."

Scott Burley led the Owls, placing eighth in the 8k race, with a time of 25:12.11. Steven Murray was not far behind, placing 15th (25:35.25), followed by Piotr Witczak in 18th (25:45.45), Travis Holmes in 21st (25:56.82), and Jaakko Nieminen in 25th (26:17.03).

"Everyone showed up and ran very well today," Burley said. "The numbers didn't add up to victory, but we still did great.

"Also, it was really a great encouragement to see the track team there supporting us. It really helped. Now we just need to use this moment, and turn it into a great track season."

Burley was the lone Owl to receive All Conference Honors on the men's side this season, as he was named to the Second Team. This was Burley's second selection to an All-Conference team, as he earned the honor in 2006 as well.

In addition, two other Owls took home conference honors, as Travis Holmes was named Freshman of the Year, and both he and Nieminen were named to the All-Freshman Team. With the Freshman of the Year selection, Holmes became the first Owl to receive the honor since Jason Waters won it in 2002 when Kennesaw State was still a member of the Peach Belt Conference. Prior to Waters, Landon Taylor earned the award in 2001, and Greg Mason in 2000.

"We were all very proud of Travis's effort today," Sims said. "It is the first time one of our men have earned the award since entering the Atlantic Sun. It's a great accomplishment for Travis."

In his final cross country race for the Owls, Maxwell Ndungu crossed the finish line in 31st place with a time of 26:31.74. The political science major from Kenya has been a part of the Owls since 2005, and is the only Kennesaw State runner not returning in 2009.

"The past four years have been something I'll remember forever," Ndungu said. "I've been blessed to get to meet so many people and go to so many places.

"When I started running in high school I wouldn't have imagined that I'd still be running eight years later. My teammates have become my family and it's a family that I'll always have regardless of where we end up."

 

Today's meet concludes the 2008 Cross Country Season. However, all of the runners will be back in action when the Indoor track season kicks off on January 9 with the Clemson Invitational in Clemson, SC.

Individual Results
8. Scott Burley -25:12.11
15. Steven Murray -25:35.25
18. Piotr Witczak -25:45.45
21. Travis Holmes -25:56.82
25. Jaakko Nieminen -26:17.03
31. Maxwell Ndungu -26:31.74
38. Daniel Grass -26:56.28
43. Gianni Catalano -27:06.89
53. Alex Hay -28:06.85

Team Results
1. East Tennessee State University
2. Belmont University
3. Kennesaw State University
4. University of North Florida
5. Campbell University
6. Lipscomb University
7. Florida Gulf Coast University
8. USC-Upstate
9. Mercer University
10. Stetson University
11. Jacksonville University