Wake Forest Athletics
Cross Country Heads to Regionals
11/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 15, 2002
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The Wake Forest men and women's cross country squads head to Greenville, NC this weekend to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. The Southeast Region consists of Division I schools from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The top two teams from each region automatically qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships to be held Monday, November 25, at Indiana State University.
The meet will begin at 10 a.m. with the women`s 6K, and the men`s 10K event will start at 11 a.m.
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS
Women: The fourth-ranked Wake Forest women's cross country team notched the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country Championships in Atlanta, splitting the honor with NC State. The victory was the first win for the women in the program's 24-year history.
Sophomore Anne Bersagel captured the fourth place spot out of 67 runners, with a time of 20:50.6. In eighth was senior Risa Rutland with a time of 21:23.4, followed by junior Anna Sherman in 12th with a time of 21:30.6. Redshirt freshman Jill Miller came in 15th with a time of 21:42.2, while Danielle Coon grabbed 22nd with a time of 21:55. Erin Franklin, with a time of 22:05.4, finished in 26th and Nikeya Green placed 31st with a time of 22:21.6.
"I am very proud of this win. It was a total team effort. It was the first time in Wake Forest history the women have ever won this title," stated Coach Annie Bennett. "This year, the championships were extremely tough because we were competing among five of the top-20 teams in the nation. That makes this win an extra special one for us."
Men: The Wake Forest men's cross country team captured a sixth-place finish at the Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country Championships in Atlanta. The men finished with 148 points, averaging a time of 25:46.54.
Senior Mike Altieri grabbed the top spot among Wake Forest competitors, placing 15th out of 68 runners with a time of 25:18.8. Dave Barrett finished 29th with a time of 25:39.6, followed Sean Stevens in 30th. Brandon Bartholomew, with a time of 25:54.8, placed 34th. Others competing for the Demon Deacons included Andrew Ice, Eddie Acosta and Brian Smith.
Bennett: Coach of the Year
Wake Forest Cross Country coach Annie Bennett was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, after her Demon Deacons were named ACC Cross Country Co-Champions.
History was made at the 25th annual ACC Women's Cross Country Championship, as two teams shared the title for the first time in league history. Wake Forest and NC State tied with 61 points apiece. Bennett led Wake Forest to its first Championship title in the program's 25-year history. Two of Bennett's runners were named to the All-Conference team in Annie Bersagel and Risa Rutland, who placed fourth and eighth, respectively. This was Bennett's first ACC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year honor.
Bennett is in her fourth season at the reigns of Wake's women's cross country program. This season, she has guided the Demon Deacons to four first-place and three second-place victories, including a recent second-place finish at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational.
All-ACC Team
Wake Forest women's cross country team members, sophomore Anne Bersagel and senior Risa Rutland, were named to the 2002 All-ACC squad. The two Demon Deacon harriers propelled Wake Forest to victory this weekend, as the team notched its first ACC Championship in the history of the program.
Bersagel led Wake, placing fourth with a time of 20:50.6. Rutland grabbed the eighth spot, finishing with a time of 21:23.4. Bersagel and Rutland's finishes were the highest the runners have placed at the ACC Championships, as Bersagel was 13th last year and Rutland was 18th in 2000.
Players Mentioned
