Deacs to Race in Blue Ridge Open

Senior Nate Guthals has finished second for the Deacs in the last two meets

10/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country

Oct. 11, 2012

By Maggie Cancelosi, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@SIDeacons)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The men's and women's cross country teams will wrap up the regular season before the ACC Championships with a trip to Boone, N.C. for the Blue Ridge Open on Friday, Oct. 12.

Hosted by Appalachian State, the Women's Gold 5k race is set to begin at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Men's Gold 8k race at 4:15 p.m.

Ranked No. 15 in the region, the Wake Forest women will compete against 15 other teams, and the No. 9 men will race against 17 additional schools.

The course on ASU's Don Kennedy Trails is comprised of grass and pea gravel with some asphalt at several crossings. There are two bridges with wood floors that will be crossed twice.

On the women's side, junior Nicole Irving has led the team as the top runner this season. The Ballston Lake, N.Y. native made her first appearance of the season at the Virginia Tech Invitational where she submitted a 6k time of 21:53.07 to take first place for the Deacs and ninth overall.

Irving then powered the team at the Charlotte Invitational on Sept. 28 where the junior reached the finish line at 20:59.58 to take second place in the race and first overall for the Deacs. At last year's Blue Ride Open, Irving turned in a solid time of 17:43.4 to win her second individual title of the season. The Demon Deacon women finished second overall out of 21 teams with 77 points, and Furman claimed first place with a total of 56 points.

The Deacs will also look to junior Melanie Powers and sophomore Aubrey Waggoner to power the women's squad. Powers clocked a time of 22:51.45 at the Virginia Tech Open ranking 23rd overall and second for the Deacons, while Waggoner took third for the Deacons and 49th overall at the Charlotte Invitational with a mark of 22:53.76.

Freshman Ashley Brubaker has shown consistency and improvement thus far in her first collegiate season, as she placed second for the Deacs and 42nd overall after submitting a time of 22: 46.22 at the Charlotte Invitational. At the Virginia Tech Invitational, the Pfafftown, N.C. native finished third for the Deacs and 27th overall after crossing the line at 22:57.96.

Additionally, freshmen Kathleen Darling, Meredith Kilburn, Kendal Knous, Samantha Jones, Meredith Anderson, Nicole Carpio and Caitlin Krol have all seen action for the Deacons this season.

As a team, the women's squad has placed third or higher in their last two meets on the season. The Deacs placed third among nine teams at the Virginia Tech Open and eighth out of 44 teams at the Charlotte Invitational.

On the men's side, the Demon Deacons have also turned in solid team performances to start the year, as they finished second out of nine at the Virginia Tech Invitational and second among 41 teams at the Charlotte Invitational.

Senior Garret Drogosch has emerged as the top Wake Forest runner in the last two meets, as he's finished sixth overall as both the Virginia Tech and Charlotte Invitationals. The Westlake Village, Calif. native set a new personal-best 8k mark of 24:31.69 at the Charlotte Invitational. At last year's Blue Ridge Open, Drogosch finished fourth overall on the 8k course in 24:54.5. As a team, the Deacs captured second place out of 23 squads with a total of 57 points. George Mason claimed the team title with 40 points.

Also running with the front pack for the Deacs this season has been Nate Guthals. The senior from Littleton, Colo. has finished second for the Deacs in the last two meets. At Virginia Tech, he placed seventh overall with a mark of 25:20.64 and ninth overall after clocking 24:48:51at the Charlotte Invitational.

Fellow seniors Tom Finneran and Anthony Marois have also shown a tremendous amount of consistency as they have raced in all three meets for the Deacs this season.

Finneran has placed fifth for the Deacs in the last two meets. The Scituate, Mass. native submitted his season-best 8k time at the Charlotte Invitational where he finished 36th overall with a mark of 25:22.69. Marois turned in two recent team finishes of third and fourth. His season-best 8k time of 25:13.08 came at the Charlotte Invitational en route to a 29th-place overall finish.

Freshman Kent Garrett has set high standards in his first collegiate season after finishing fourth and third for the Deacs at the last two meets. He set his season-best 8k time of 25:46.05 at the Virginia Tech Invitational where he ranked 25th overall.

Additionally, freshmen James Allen McAlister III, Ryan Horgan and Tom Diliberto have all seen action for the Deacs this season.

The Blue Ridge Open marks the final regular season meet for the Deacs, as they will take next weekend off before traveling to Blacksburg, Va. on Oct. 27 for the ACC Cross Country Championships.