Knights Runners named Academic All-Americans

February 2005

LAURINBURG, NC—The United States Cross Country Coaches Association announced the 2004 NCAA Division II Academic All-Americans and Academic Teams. St. Andrews had three runners earn individual honors including Kelly Chaplin, Jessica Loud and Charles Rivers. The Knights women’s team tied for the fourth highest team GPA in the nation with a 3.71.

In order for an individual to be recognized as an Academic All-American they must have completed 24 semester hours, have a 3.25 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale and have placed in the top 30% of their Regional Championships. The award honors those student-athletes who successfully combined athletic achievement with academic success.

This year 166 women representing 69 institutions earned individual honors in Division II. Chaplin, a business management major, and Loud, a visual arts major, were selected with outstanding GPA’s.

The rest of the women’s team at St. Andrews did its part as the Knights combined for a 3.71 GPA, which tied them for fourth best in the nation with Montana State University – Billings. St. Andrews had the highest GPA in the region and in the CVAC.

There were 80 men representing 48 institutions that earned individual honors including Rivers, who is a philosophy major.

October 29, 2004

ANDERSON, SC—The St. Andrews men’s cross country team fell five points short of clinching their first Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Title on Friday with a second place finish at the CVAC Championships hosted by Anderson College. The women finished in seventh place with only five runners competing.

Lees-McRae College placed four runners in the top 15 in the women’s race and three runners in the top 10 in the men’s race on its way to a sweep of the conference titles at the Pine Lake Golf Club.

Both events were run under cloudy, damp conditions with an occasional light drizzle.

In the men’s 8K event, Coker’s David Green beat Brian Knapp of Lees-McRae by one step to take the individual title in a course-record time of 26:57.

Lees-McRae finished the men’s meet with 60 points, five better than second-place St. Andrews Presbyterian. The Knights top finisher was Chris Miller (27:11), who came in third. Coker was third, Barton took fourth, Pfeiffer was fifth, and host Anderson was sixth. The remainder of the field in order was: Queens University of Charlotte, Belmont Abbey, Erskine, Mount Olive and Limestone.

Green was named Runner of the Year, Miller was named Freshman of the Year, and Craig McPhail of Lees-McRae was named Coach of the Year.

Along with his Freshman of the Year honors, Miller was named to the CVAC All-Conference First Team. St. Andrews’ Tim Bourke made the Second Team All-Conference list with his seventh place finish (28:03). Matt Bourke (28:49) and Steve Araiza (28:54) finished 16th and 17th, respectively, for the Knights. Finishing out the race for St. Andrews was Adam Vick (29:29), Charles Rivers (30:27), Chris Witt (32:03) and Devon Gillis (33:36).

In the women’s 5K event, Anderson freshman Jennifer Hitt took the lead early and pulled away. Hitt won her first race of the season and recorded her fifth top-six finish with a time of 19:35, 31 seconds ahead of Molly Collins of Queens.

St. Andrews runner Kelly Chaplin made the CVAC All-Conference Honorable Mention list with her team-leading 12th place finish (20:52). Veronica Gobeyn finished in 16th place with a 21:06 time while Jessica Loud (22:22), Sara Pauciello (24:30) and Casey Kallenberg (25:54) finished the scoring for the Knights.

Lees-McRae won the women’s title with 54 points. Queens was second with 71, and host Anderson was third with 77 points. The remainder of the field in order was: Pfeiffer, Barton, Erskine, St. Andrews, Belmont Abbey, Coker and Mount Olive.

Hitt was named Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year, and McPhail was named Coach of the Year.

The Knights will turnaround and compete in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Saturday, November 4th in Wingate, NC (hosted by Wingate University).

October 19, 2004

THOMASVILLE, NC—Once again Kelly Chaplin and Chris Miller were named the NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) cross country Runners of the Week on Tuesday afternoon after their strong runs at the North Carolina Championships hosted by East Carolina University.

Kelly Chaplin of St. Andrews was selected as the CVAC women’s cross country Runner of the Week for an impressive fourth week this season. St. Andrews junior runner Kelly Chaplin improved her season best time by seven seconds at the NC Collegiate XC Championships at Lake Kristie (hosted by ECU). Chaplin’s time of 19:15 in the five-kilometer race helped the Knights to a third place finish out of 10 teams and in front of Barton, Pfeiffer, and Mt. Olive. The Montpelier, VT native finished ahead of 68 other runners including all other CVAC participants. Chaplin was only 22 seconds behind the race winner and 20 seconds behind the runner-up; both of which run for No. 1 Southeast Regionally Ranked Mars Hill. Chaplin has five top-10’s on the year including two race victories.

Chris Miller of St. Andrews has been selected as the CVAC men’s cross country Runner of the Week for the second week this season. The St. Andrews men’s cross country team has finished in either first or second in 5-of-6 races this season including this weeks NC Collegiate XC Championships hosted by East Carolina. Freshman Chris Miller has been a big part of the Knights success, as they are ranked No. 3 in Southeast Region, leading SAPC in every race this season. Miller continues to improve as he crossed the line at Lake Kristi with his best eight-kilometer time of the season, 26:18, to finish in fifth place out of 66 runners. The Cedar Park, TX native’s fifth top-10 finish of the season helped the Knights to a second place finish out of nine teams. The knights only lost to nationally ranked Mars Hill while beating three CVAC schools including Barton, Pfeiffer, and Mt. Olive. Miller has knocked off time on each of his four 8k races this season and was the leading conference runner at this weeks meet.

Both Chaplin and Miller look to lead their respective teams in the CVAC Championships on Friday, October 29th in Anderson, SC (hosted by Anderson College).

October 16, 2004

GREENVILLE, NC—The top-five scoring runners for the St. Andrews Presbyterian College men’s cross country team all ended up in the top-25, guiding the Knights to their third runner-up finish of the season in the 8K North Carolina Collegiate Cross Country Championships at Lake Kristi hosted by East Carolina University.

The Knights second place finish was nothing to complain about as they only fell to No. 23 Nationally and No. 1 Southeast Regionally Ranked Mars Hill College. The Lions won the team title with 16 points after posting five of the six fastest times including race winner Craig Eckstein (25:25).

St. Andrews, who has maintained a No. 3 Southeast Region ranking for five consecutive weeks, held off seven other teams including CVAC rivals Barton, Pfeiffer and Mt. Olive for second place with 72 points. Third-place Barton finished 44 points behind the Knights.

Freshman Chris Miller ran his fastest race of the season, 26:18, to lead the Knights with a fourth place finish out of 66 runners. Sophomore Tim Bourke broke the 27-minute mark for the first time this season (26:59) for an 11th place finish. Both Steve Araiza (15th; 27:18) and Adam Vick (20th; 27:49) improved their best time of the year by at least 37 seconds. Charles Rivers (25th; 28:04), Matt Bourke (27th; 28:13) and Chris Witt (38th; 29:26) concluded the running for St. Andrews.

The Knights have two weeks to prepare for the CVAC Championships hosted by Anderson College on Friday, October 29th.

October 9, 2004

ORLANDO, FL—The St. Andrews Presbyterian College cross country teams traveled all the way down to Florida to race in the 2004 Disney Classic at the Wide World of Sports Complex on Saturday morning. The Knights had respectable showing in the Division I and NAIA dominated races, as the men finishing in 16th place and the women ending up in 27th place.

Six out of eight St. Andrews men’s runners had season best times in the 8K Disney Classic to help lead the Knights to a 16th place finish out of 31 team. SAPC finished seventh out of 11 Division II teams. The University of Florida Gators won the team title with three runners in the top-10 including race champion Ryder Leary (24:46).

Freshman Chris Miller was the first Knight to break the 27-minute mark on the season with a 26:58 time on Saturday’s race to finish 51st overall out of 267 runners. Miller improved his best collegiate time by 35 seconds. Sophomore Tim Bourke (Alden, NY) followed with his best time of the season, 27:47. Sophomore Steve Araiza (San Antonio, TX) and senior Charles Rivers (Chapel Hill, NC) finished two seconds apart with times of 28:15 and 28:17, respectively. Freshmen Adam Vick’s (Salisbury, NC) time of 28:28 was an improvement of 48 seconds while Chris Witt (Buchanan, VA) bettered his season’s time by 3:20 with a 29:06 finish. Matt Bourke (Alden, NY) and Devon Gillis (Wilmington, NC) finished up the running for the Knights with season best times of 29:22 and 32:49.

The Knights will head to Lake Kristi in Greenville, NC for the North Carolina Championships on Saturday.

October 1, 2004

CARY, NC—Birmingham-Southern College was able to put their top-five runners in the top-20 to win the team title over St. Andrews Presbyterian College, 67-76, in the Men’s Small College 8K Run at the 2004 Great American Cross Country Festival.

The Knights, who had four runners in the top-20, finished second in the 12-team field. SAPC has finished first or second in all four races they have competed in this year. Earlier in the week the Knights maintained their No. 3 Southeast Regional ranking when the new polls were released.

With a time of 27:44 freshman Chris Miller (Cedar Park, TX) paced the Knights with a seventh place finish. Tim Bourke (Alden, NY) finished just five seconds behind Miller in eighth place. Steve Araiza (San Antonio, TX) and Charles Rivers (Chapel Hill, NC) finished back-to-back in 14th and 15th place with times of 28:17 and 28:18. Adam Vick (Salisbury, NC) followed with a 29:41 time that was good for 32nd place out of 80 runners. Matt Bourke (Alden, NY), Chris Witt (Buchanan, VA) and Devon Gillis (Wilmington, NC) finished the running for the Knights.

St. Augustine’s Larry Marshall won the race with a 26:11 time, 46 seconds ahead of the next runner, Daruis Shade of Livingstone College.

The Knights will make a big trip to Orlando, Florida next Saturday to compete in the Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic. The men start at 7:45 a.m.

September 18, 2004

WINGATE, NC—The St. Andrews cross country teams made the best out of a late arrival to the 2004 Wingate University Invitational Saturday at the Wingate cross country facility as the men finished 2nd and the women finished 13th. The event served as a pre-regional meet for the 2004 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Saturday, Nov. 6th.

The St. Andrews men’s cross-country team arrived just in time for their race at the Wingate Invite because of bus problems and did not have time to walk the course or stretch. The Knights did not let these problems get in the way of their mission as they proved their No. 3 Southeast Region ranking by coming in 2nd out of 18 teams and first amongst Southeast Region teams. The Knights finished with 61 points, just eight points behind Clayton State of the South Region.

All five of the Knights scoring runners finished in the top-30 out of 130 entrants. Chris Miller (Cedar Park, TX) led the SAPC with a third place finish and a time of 34:30 on the 10K course. Tim Bourke (Alden, NY) and Steve Araiza (San Antonio, TX) were on Miller’s heels finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, with times of 35:02 and 35:03. Senior Charles Rivers (Chapel Hill, NC) came in 17th place with a time of 35:50. Adam Vick (Salisbury, NC) and Matt Bourke (Alden, NY) followed with times of 36:58 and 37:57. Chris Witt (Buchanan, VA) and Devon Gillis (Wilmington, NC) concluded the Knights running with times of 39:51 and 43:20.

“The men are running extremely well having not reached our speed phase of training,” Gary Aycock, SAPC Head Coach said. “Sophomore Steve Araiza and freshman Adam Vick have really stepped up with their racing which has helped close the gap in our scoring five.”

The Knights have two weeks to prep for their next race, the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, NC on Friday, October 1st. The women start at 1:45 p.m. followed by the men at 2:15 p.m.

September 13, 2004

THOMASVILLE, NC—Kelly Chaplin of St. Andrews Presbyterian College has been selected the NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women’s cross country “Runner of the Week” for the second straight week this season. The Knights men’s cross-country team is currently ranked No. 3 in the Southeast Region of Division II.

Chaplin’s second season with the Knights has started off with a bang, winning her first two races including the UNC Pembroke Invitational on Saturday with a career best time of 19:50. Chaplin dominated the 5K race winning by almost 30 seconds in the field of 48 runners as she helped a depleted St. Andrews women’s team to a fifth place finish. The Montpelier, VT, native got out front early and steadily built up a big lead, securing her second victory that included last weeks win at the USC Gamecock Invite.

After winning their first two races of the 2004 season, the St. Andrews men’s cross country team garnered some attention with the No. 3 ranking in the NCAA Southeast Region of Division II. The Knights won the USC Gamecock Invite last week and the UNC Pembroke Invitational this week, making other regional teams recognize their abilities. The Knights had six runners in the top-20 at Pembroke’s meet.

Both St. Andrews cross-country squads will try and continue their early season success at the Wingate Invitational this Saturday. The men start at 9:30 a.m. followed by the women at 10:15 a.m.

September 11, 2004

LUMBERTON, NC—With a team score of 46, the St. Andrews men’s cross country team took home first place honors in Saturday's UNC Pembroke Invitational held at Luther Britt Park. On the women’s side, SAPC finished fifth out of seven schools with a team score of 106. SAPC’s Kelly Chaplin (Montpelier, VT) dominated the 48-runner women’s race.

The SAPC men had a strong showing throughout the lineup with four Knights finishing in the top-10 and six in the top-20. Chris Miller, who ran 27:33.4 and finished in fourth place individually, led the Knights to their second straight team victory. Miller was followed by teammates Charles Rivers (7th; 27:53.8), Tim Bourke (8th; 27:54.6), Steve Araiza (10th; 27:55.3), Adam Vick (17th; 29:16.5), Matt Bourke (20th; 29:31.5), Chris Witt (32:26.9) and Devon Gillis (34:43.3).

Taking first place honors was St. Augustine's Larry Marshall with a time of 26:33.2. As a team, St. Aug.'s (72) finished second to the Knights, followed by Wingate (81) and Francis Marion (84).

Chaplin, who ran 19:50.3, topped the women’s field for her second straight Division II victory. As a team, Francis Marion (66) took runner-up honors to Wingate, while St. Aug.'s finished third (90), narrowly beating UNCP (93) and St. Andrews (106).

Heading up the Knights' squad after Chaplin was Veronica Gobeyn (8th; 21:18.1), Jessica Loud (24th; 22:52.4), Sara Pauciello (25:21.0) and Casey Kallenberg (26:39.1)

Next up for St. Andrews is next Saturday's Wingate Invitational. The men start the meet at 9:30 a.m. followed by the women at 10:15 a.m.

September 9, 2004

THOMASVILLE, NC—Knights runners Chris Miller and Kelly Chaplin won their respective Division II races at the University of South Carolina Gamecock Invitational helping lead St. Andrews to the winners circle in both team competitions. For their efforts Miller and Chaplin were named the CVAC Runners of the Week on Thursday afternoon.

Chris Miller of St. Andrews Presbyterian College has been selected as the NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) men’s cross country Runner of the Week. Freshman runner Chris Miller started his collegiate career off with an impressive win at the University of South Carolina Gamecock Invitational. Miller tied the meets course record for a Division II runner with a time of 15:55 in the 5K race. Miller’s first place finish helped lead St. Andrews to the overall victory. The Cedar Park, TX, native finished third overall in the race behind two Division I runners (39 runner field).

Kelly Chaplin of St. Andrews Presbyterian College has been selected as the NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) women’s cross country Runner of the Week. Junior runner Kelly Chaplin led the Knights to a season opening win in the Division II race at the University of South Carolina Gamecock Invitational, winning the race with a 19:57 time. It marked Chaplin’s fastest time in a 5K race in the past two years. The Montpelier, VT native finished 12th overall behind 11 Division I runners in the 54 entrant race.

September 3, 2004

COLUMBIA, SC—Both St. Andrews cross country teams started off their 2004 seasons with impressive race wins at the University of South Carolina Gamecock Cross Country Invitational on Friday afternoon at Owens Field. The Knights men, who are picked 5th in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, and the women, who are picked 6th, will definitely cause other conference schools to re-evaluate their season outlooks.

The SAPC women won the overall NCAA Division II team title with 26 points over UNC Pembroke by five points. Sophomore Kelly Chaplin (Montpelier, VT) won the D-II 5K race in 19:57; followed by Veronica Gobeyn (4th; 21:23), Jessica Loud (6th; 23:26), Ronda Toner (7th; 23:32), Sara Pauciello (8th; 25:09) and Casey Kallenberg (9th; 25:47). The Knights women also defeated South Carolina State, a D-I school, in the overall standings. Other D-I schools present were Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia Southern and Gardner-Webb.

The Knights men’s team dominated the entire field, including D-I schools, with a score of 24 points. St. Andrews won the Division II title over Coker, UNC Pembroke and Voorhees. If the men could have competed against the D-I schools, the Knights would have also won that race over Gardner-Webb and South Carolina State.

SAPC freshman Chris Miller (Cedar Park, TX) won the 5K D-II race with a meet tying course record of 15:55. Tim Bourke (Alden, NY) finished seven seconds behind Miller in second place with a time of 16:02. Miller and T. Bourke finished 3rd and 4th overall, respectively. Other Knights finishers included Steve Araiza (4th; 16:40), Adam Vick (7th; 17:01), Matt Bourke (10th; 17:43), Chris Witt (13th; 18:07) and Devin Gillis (23rd; 20:06).

Both teams will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 11th at Luther Britt Park in Lumberton for the UNC Pembroke Cross Country Invite. The women begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by the men at 9:00 a.m.