Wake Forest University
Wake Forest Relays
Waggoner, Jones Pace Deacs at Wake Forest Relays
8/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Aug 30, 2013
Women's Photo Gallery 
| Men's Photo Gallery | Final Results
By Scott Wortman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest kicked off the 2013 cross country season on Friday afternoon, hosting area rivals Elon and UNCG for the Wake Forest Relays. The Demon Deacons took first overall on the men's side and second on the women's.
The non-traditional meet was a relay-style race that paired two runners who combined to run 9k on the women's side and 12k on the men's side. The paired runners alternated running 1,500-meter loops on the course.
On the women's side, Elon and Wake Forest alternated the top six spots but the Phoenix held the edge in the end to take the team title.
Junior Aubrey Waggoner and sophomore Samantha Jones paced the Deacons, finishing second in 32:02.
Graduate student Kristin Weisse and sophomore Kathleen Darling combined to run 32:15 and place fourth.
Freshmen Gabrielle Merritt and Ellie Abrahamson rounded out the Deacons' top three teams, finishing in 33:02 for sixth.
Freshmen Marie Johnston and Michaela Keegan placed ninth in 34:32.
On the men's side, the Deacons dominated by taking three of the top four spots. The combination of sophomores Kent Garrett and James Allen McAlister III led the way for Wake Forest, combining to finish second overall in 37:38.
Junior Connor Crowley and redshirt sophomore Billy Fayette, competing for the first time as a Deacon after transferring from Richmond this past spring, took third in a time of 37:39.
Freshman Jake Poyner and sophomore Ryan Horgan combined to finish in 38:00 to round out the top four pairs.
Sophomore Evan Little and freshman Alex Giacco finished seventh in 38:37, while junior Brian O'Toole and senior Bill Matthews placed 10th in 39:01.
"It's always great to race here at home in front of the crowd and family and friends here at Wake Forest," said Wake Forest distance coach Brad Hunt. "It was a chance to run on the trails we run on every day, and I think it's something we feel like we're going to build momentum as the season progresses."
The Wake Forest Relays were just the first of three meets that the Deacons will host this season. Wake Forest will host the ACC Championships on Nov. 1 at Beeson Park in Kernersville and also hold a preview at Beeson Park with the Wake Forest Invitational on Sept. 20.
"I think the familiarity [of hosting] is fantastic," said Hunt. "Anytime you can do that, it's always helpful. At the same time, it's unfamiliar bringing in new teams to the ACC--a distance powerhouse as the conference goes. Certainly it's going to be a significant challenge for us, but we're up to the challenge."
Wake Forest will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Queens University Twilight in Charlotte.
Women's Team Scores:
1. Elon, 9
2. Wake Forest, 12
3. UNCG, 24
Women's Individual Results (9k):
| 1. Elon | Kimberly Johansen/Tereza Novotna | 31:53:00 |
| 2. Wake Forest | Aubrey Waggoner/Samantha Jones | 32:02:00 |
| 3. Elon | Shelby Cuddeback/Elyse Bierut | 32:04:00 |
| 4. Wake Forest | Kristin Weisse/Kathleen Darling | 32:15:00 |
| 5. Elon | Jenny Gallagher/Kaitlin Snapps | 32:15:00 |
| 6. Wake Forest | Gabrielle Merritt/Ellie Abrahamson | 33:02:00 |
| 7. Elon | Brennan McDavid/Erin Macbeth | 34:04:00 |
| 8. Elon | Sabina Baines/Jackie Madden | 34:15:00 |
| 9. Wake Forest | Marie Johnston/Michaela Keegan | 34:32:00 |
| 10. Elon | Kylie Womack/Kaitlin Stober | 34:38:00 |
| 11. Elon | Amanda Parker/Emily Dunne | 34:48:00 |
| 12. UNCG | Shannon Hall/Samiiah Wilson | 35:59:00 |
| 13. UNCG | Meredith Hicks/Katlyn Adkins | 39:17:00 |
| 14. UNCG | Haley Wenos/Katie Miller | 41:51:00 |
Men's Team Scores: Men's Individual Results (12k): | ||
| 1. Elon | Luis Vargas/Ben Perron | 36:00:00 |
| 2. Wake Forest | Kent Garrett/Jimmy McAlister | 37:38:00 |
| 3. Wake Forest | Connor Crowley/Billy Fayette | 37:39:00 |
| 4. Wake Forest | Jake Poyner/Ryan Horgan | 38:00:00 |
| 5. Elon | Nick Schneider/Ari Rothschild | 38:16:00 |
| 6. Unattached | Dan Kerr/Carter Denne | 38:33:00 |
| 7. Wake Forest | Evan Little/Alex Giacco | 38:37:00 |
| 8. Elon | James Stevenson/Nick Foley | 38:38:00 |
| 9. Elon | Ian O'Leary/Adam Bernstein | 38:44:00 |
| 10. Wake Forest | Brian O'Toole/Bill Matthews | 39:01:00 |
| 11. UNCG | Max Bergstrom/Max Chandler | 40:18:00 |
| 12. UNCG | Dakarai Shipp/David Guthrie | 41:02:00 |
| 13. UNCG | John Elwood/JT Booker | 42:22:00 |
| 14. UNCG | Chris Murphy/Johnny Hodge | 42:43:00 |
Players Mentioned
