The University of the Cumberlands (UC) Cross Country teams traveled to Ohio this past weekend to compete in the Cedarville Invitational in Cedarville, Ohio on September 15, 2012.  The Cumberland men competed in the 8k event while the women's team competed in the 5k event.

The first race to compete was the men's 8K.  Again this week, first to the finish for the Patriot Men was Landon Hamilton (Andover, OH) who ran a time of 25:17 and finished 3^rd overall out of 138 other men in the 8K event.  Hamilton also finished 3^rd place last season but this year was only seven seconds behind the runner up finisher of Cedarville.  Donald Whyte (Miamisburg, OH) earned a top ten overall finish by running a time of 25:35 for a 9^th place finish.  Both of these men ran faster this year on the same course than last year.

Next up for the Patriots, who only ran seconds apart, were senior Aundreas Lopez (Calistoga, CA) and sophomore Jonathan Gears (Andover, OH).  Lopez placed 21^st by running a time of 26:26, while Gears finished directly behind in 22^nd place with a time of 26:28.  Lopez and Gears used each other as an advantage to put up these fast times as they worked together throughout the entire race and each following with a strong finish.  Rounding out the top five for the Patriot men was freshman Sam Meredith (Taylorsville, KY) who ran a 26:46 and finished in 30^th place.

Next to cross the line was Eric Phillips (New Castle, KY) who finished his race in 52^nd place after running a 27:34.  Completing the top seven on the men's team was freshman Josh Moon (Batavia, OH) who finished in 57^th place after running a final time of 27:40.  Caleb Chappell (Shelbyville, KY) ran a 28:14 finishing in 68^th place and Devin Edwards (Corbin, KY) ran a 28:51 finishing in 79^th place.  Kevin Ross (Lexington, KY) finished in 98^th place with a time of 29:57 while Bradley Faulkner (Williamsburg, KY) completed the Patriots team running a 32:06 finishing in 115^th place.

The men's team placed 3^rd overall out of 9 other competing teams.  The University of the Cumberlands scored a total of 78 points, which was 3 points shy of a second place finish which went to Wright State University.

The Patriot ladies took off at 10:15 A.M. and had a strong race.  UC was led by senior Darcy Mascotti (Bellbrook, OH) who was the individual runner-up finisher in the 5K women's race with a new personal record time of 18:15.  Finishing right behind her was sophomore Danielle Hoop (Owenton, KY) who finished in 3^rd place with her fastest collegiate time of 18:32.  Mascotti and Hoop stayed together through nearly the entire race along with the winner of the women's race from Cedarville until each runner pulled away from one another as they approached the end.

Next to cross the line for the Patriots was Shelby Gibbons (Hamersville, OH) who finished in 22^nd place with a time of 19:51.  Gibbons also ran her fastest cross country 5K of her collegiate career.  Finishing fourth for UC was Christine Moon (Sardinia, OH) who ran a time of 20:23 finishing in 37^th place.  Rounding out the top five was freshman Casey Richardson (Louisville, KY) who finished strong, even with a weak ankle, running a time of 20:33 in 43^rd place.

Senior Audrey Springer (Pataskala, OH) crossed the line next for the first time of her senior career after coming back from an ongoing knee injury with a time of 20:49 for a 52^nd place finish.  Following very closely behind was senior Patriot Jennifer Marcum (Springboro, OH) who ran a time of 21:01 for a 58^th place finish.

A pair of Patriot freshman were next to follow as Sydney Freeman (Corbin, KY) finished 93^rd with a time of 22:48 while Rebekah Henderson (Nicholasville, KY) was 95^th and ran the course in a time of 22:50.  Rounding out the Patriot ladies was sophomore Brittany Bloyd (Louisville, KY) who ran the race in 23:16 and received 105^th place.

The women's team also placed 3^rd overall out of 12 competing teams.  The ladies scored a total of 103 points combined.

Following the collegiate races was a brief awards ceremony. The awards ceremony was for the top 10 finishers in each race along with the overall team runner-up and winner awards.  Both of the UC's men and women's teams missed the team award by one place, but had four individuals receive plaques. Hamilton and Whyte of the men's team and Mascotti and Hoop of the women's team each received honors for their top ten finishes.

The Patriots Cross Country teams will take a week off before traveling to Louisville, KY for the Greater Louisville Classic on September 29^th, 2012.

For more information on the Patriots cross country team or other Patriot athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. 

_{Article Provided by Danielle Hoop, University of the Cumberlands Multimedia and Athletic Services Student Assistant}