East Carolina University
ECU Pirate Invitational
Cross Country Sweeps Pirate Invitational
September 19, 2009 | Cross Country
Sept. 19, 2009
ECU Pirate Invitational Results
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina men’s and women’s cross country teams swept the Pirate Invitational Saturday morning at Lake Kristi. Both squads finished ahead of Campbell, UNC-Pembroke and Mount Olive.
The team championship is the second for the men this year, marking the first time the program has claimed two first-place finishes in the same season since the 2003 squad won the Elon Invitational and a dual meet against North Carolina A&T. The team title for the women is the program’s first since the 2006 McAlister’s Deli Invitational.
For the second time in as many meets, freshman Dillon Hawley led the men with a time of 25:49 in the 8K, placing him second overall. Redshirt sophomore Antoine Berlin (26:16), freshman Cory Hampshire (26:21) and sophomore Zack Montijo (26:38) placed fourth, fifth and sixth overall. Senior Jarrett Newby rounded out the top-10 performances, as he checked in eighth with a time of 27:03.
Freshman Brian Quintrell, who finished in 27:34, narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish, coming in 12th. Freshman Antonio Palmer (14th/27:50), freshman Matthew Poiesz (19th/28:12) and sophomore Edrian Murray (22nd/28:33) were the final runners for the Pirates. Murray’s time was a career best, nearly 1:45 better than his performance at the Pirate Invitational a season ago.
For the East Carolina women, all eight of the team’s runners finished in the top 15. In addition, junior Brittany Copeland and senior Nicole Briggs, competing for the first time this season, ran unattached and finished second and third overall. Copeland finished the 5K in 18:40 while Briggs completed the race in 18:49.
Senior Samantha Lichtner was the first Pirate to finish who had her time count toward the ECU team score. She placed fourth overall with a time of 18:49. Sophomore Amanda Lapp followed closely behind, checking in at 19:02, good for sixth. Freshmen Brooke Kott (8th/19:24) and Stacey Gonzalez (9th/19:29) were the other top-10 finishers for ECU.
Junior Jessica Foley (11th/19:49), freshman Laura Gundry (13th/20:34), junior Lisa DeLorenzo (14th/20:49) and sophomore Andrea Barletta (15th/20:51) completed the Pirate runners.
East Carolina has two weeks off before returning to competition Oct. 2 in Cary, N.C., for the Great American Cross Country Festival, held at the WakeMed Soccer Park.
