Amy Van Alstine placed 67th in the women's race after losing a shoe in the first 500M...
It was the first trip to the NCAA Championships for the men's team...
Matt Llano narrowly missed All-America honors by 3 seconds placing 44th.
The men following their 24th place finish at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, IN. (L-R) Team members Conor Phelan, Jason Skipper, Andrew Benford, Chris York, Tim Quinn, Matt Llano, Jon Wilson, Adam Owens and Levi Grandt...Over 330 universities sponsor cross country within the NCAA making it the most sponsored sport behind basketball... (Dan Petty Photo)
Tent City...Adam Owens carries gear to our tent...
Inside the warm-up tent...The team stretched and relaxed prior to the races...
Matt Llano loosening up prior to the team warm-up. It's 1:15 before race time...
Amy Van Alstine preparing to warm-up for the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
The Indiana State University pep band...
Coach Lori Taylor, athletic trainer Jessi Humphrey's with Amy minutes before the women's national championship race began...
Our Richmond Spiders banner...We had the only banner at the on the start line that we could see...It was called "aggressive marketing"...We thought it was common sense...
The start area...
The start of the women's race. How pure...no timeouts...no half-time break...The starters gun sounds and it's in the hands of the athletes to race with their heart for 6 Kilometers...
...the women 400 meters into the race...
Amy Van Alstine placed 67th. Very good racing, especially considering she lost her shoe after taking a fall about 500M into the race. After a quick recovery she got her shoe back onto her foot and raced hard to move up throughout the championships. (Dan Petty Photo)
Here she approaches the finish, kicking by several athletes as she finished...
The men were next...(L-R) Matt Llano, Coach Steve Taylor, Chris York, Andrew Benford (back to the camera), Levi Grandt, Tim Quinn (in blue shirt)...
The men's team huddle...The years of hard work...the thousands of miles these men ran during those years...The sacrifice...the self discipline...this moment in time they will never forget...and neither will I.
It's show time...
Our team was lined up next to Oregon...Matt Llano and Matt Centrowicz (Oregon #481) were high school teammates at Broadneck High School in Maryland. Ironic they were lined up next to each other here at the NCAA Championships...
Receiving their last minute instructions..
"On Your Mark".....
...and they're off...
Going...
Going...
Going....
...Gone...It would take only a little over 30 minutes to learn our men finished 24th defeating Notre Dame, Texas, Minnesota, Louisville, Georgetown, Penn State and California...Complete men's team results HERE
Matt Llano moved up late in the race to place 44th...The top 40 athletes earn All-America honors which he missed by a mere 3 seconds. (Dan Petty Photo)
Andrew Benford moved up to the top 20 overall by 7K but lost positioning through 9K before a rebounding kick moved him to 75th. A rough 2K in a race at this level is all that it takes...
Matt Llano and Andrew Benford have led the Spiders this entire season...
The men's race approaches 5K...
A few thousand spectators mobbed the course....***********************************************************
Men's XC Finishes 24th In The Nation
Men's XC Finishes 24th In The Nation
Men finish in the top-25 at the 2010 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
by KC Rismiller
UR SID
November 22, 2010
Terre Haute, Ind.- The Spider cross country season came to a close today, with the men finishing 24th and redshirt-senior Amy Van Alstine finishing 67th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
"I couldn't be happier for our athletes," said men's head coach Steve Taylor. "The goal was to finish in the top-25 and they did (24th), narrowly missing Villanova in 23rd by four points. They beat a lot of nationally prominent programs and achieved success that our men have dedicated their college career too. Our season has been a tremendous success. It's here at the National Championships when you realize how many great teams, coaches and others have paid attention to our season. It's nice to know our men and women have the attention of the cross country nation. They have earned everything they have achieved through hard work, self-discipline, passion and heart. This sport defines who these men & women are."
Richmond was led by redshirt-senior Matt Llano who finished 44th with a time of 30.35.8. Not placing in the top 40, Llano was three seconds from receiving All-American honors. Redshirt-senior Andrew Benford was the second Spider to finish, coming in 75th-place with a time of 30:54.7. Senior Tim Quinn finished 116th (31:19.3), followed by redshirt-senior Jon Wilson in 204th (32:12.9), sophomore Chris York (32:34.5) in 219th, junior Levi Grandt (32:52.2) in 225th, and sophomore Jason Skipper (36:45.2) in 246th.
"Our seniors have been tremendous for our program and University. They have helped elevate our team to the highest level of NCAA Division I cross country. Their leadership, work ethic, determination and unrelenting desire to achieve our team and their personal goals set them apart. They are fighters in every sense and know how to win. It's been my privilege to serve as their coach."
Liberty's senior Samual Chelanga came in first-place in the men's 10K with a time of 29:22.2. Arizona's Stephen Sambu came in second with time of 29:26.5, while third-place went to Oregon junior Luke Puskedra (29:38.0). Oklahoma State finished first overall, followed by Florida State and Wisconsin. To view the complete list of men's results, follow the link:
Men's Individual Results
As for the women's 6K race, Van Alstine finished 67th with a time of 21:06.4. In the first 500 meters of the race, Van Alstine got tangled with a few athletes and fell, losing her shoe. However, after putting her shoe back on, she continued to run the race.
As for the women's 6K race, Van Alstine finished 67th with a time of 21:06.4. In the first 500 meters of the race, Van Alstine got tangled with a few athletes and fell, losing her shoe. However, after putting her shoe back on, she continued to run the race.
"Amy ran extremely well today and as always she ran with heart giving her best," said women's head coach Lori Taylor. "It's unfortunate that her shoe came off early in the race, but she got it back on and didn't panic. She raced hard and passed a lot of people throughout the race showing just how competitive she is. She's had a great season and we look forward to watching her during the track & field season."
The women's individual race was won by Villanova's Sheila Reid, a junior who finished in 20:06.9. Second-place went to Emily Infeld, a junior from Georgetown (20:09.2) and third-palce went to Jordan Hasay, a sophomore from Oregon (20:13.0). Overall, Villanova clinched first-place, followed by Florida State in second and Texas Tech in third. For the complete list of women's results click here:
Women's Individual Results
"We had a huge group of Spider faithful here today at the national championships and appreciate their support and effort to get here to encourage Amy and our men's team. Our athletes recognize who was here to see history and will remember this day for the rest of their lives. Today their dreams and years of hard work came together as the thousands of miles they literally ran in preparation paid off.
Take a look at who these men beat today when the pressure was on... to finish 24th in the nation is a huge achievement. Lori and I are elated with their athletic accomplishments and we are equally proud of the fact they have achieved this success while maintaining one of the top team grade point averages in the nation."
"We had a huge group of Spider faithful here today at the national championships and appreciate their support and effort to get here to encourage Amy and our men's team. Our athletes recognize who was here to see history and will remember this day for the rest of their lives. Today their dreams and years of hard work came together as the thousands of miles they literally ran in preparation paid off.
Take a look at who these men beat today when the pressure was on... to finish 24th in the nation is a huge achievement. Lori and I are elated with their athletic accomplishments and we are equally proud of the fact they have achieved this success while maintaining one of the top team grade point averages in the nation."
Make sure to check out the Photo Gallery. More pictures to come!
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