Charlotte Cross Country Teams Second At Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. - The Charlotte 49ers cross country teams had their best outing of the season Saturday, with each finishing second at the Clemson Invitational. Both teams placed three runners in the top 10 individual finishers.

The men were second to Clemson with a score of 46. The Tigers finished with a score of 40. Vince Sherry led all individual runners, winning the 8K race with a time of 24:58. His time is the team's bast of the season and ranks 18th in the school record book. Ed Schlichter was the next runner to cross the line for the 49ers. He placed fifth with a 25:39 time. Josh Baker rounded out the top 10, taking 10th with a time of 25:47. Jared Kessen finished 13th with a time of 26:06, and Luke Pitman was 19th with a time of 26:54.

The team scores for the women's race were just as close. Charlotte scored a 56, just behind Alabama's 48. Cassie Ficken was the lead runner for the women. She finished second overall with a time of 22:50. It was the team's first 6K race of the season. Laura Syracuse and Jen Taylor also cracked the top 10 for the Niners. Syracuse was sixth with a 23:40 time and was followed by Taylor in seventh with a 23:43 time. Andria Craig finished fourth for the women, placing 18th with a time of 24:53. Marenika Wisdom rounded out the 49ers' score. She finished 30th with a time of 25:45.

Charlotte will take next weekend off, returning to action the following week at the NCAA Pre-National Meet in Terre Haute, Ind.