Crimson Tide Opens Season With a Third-Place Finish
9/3/2010 12:00:00 AM
Sept. 3, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Alabama women's cross country team opened up the 2010 season with a third-place finish at the Belmont/Vanderbilt Opener Friday evening. The Crimson Tide had three runners score in the top-10 on the 4-kilometer course at Percy Ward Park.
The Tide scored 65 points in the 12-team field with Vanderbilt winning the event on its home course with 27 points followed by Western Kentucky in second with 59.
Junior Andrea Torske took top honors for the Tide, finishing fifth with a time of 14:32.43, trimming nearly 40 seconds off her time at the same event last season. Western Kentucky's Marion Kandie won the event with a time of 14:13.87.
UA's Katlyn Will and Leigh Gilmore scored in 10th and 11th , respectively. Will crossed the finish line in 14:41.59 followed by Gilmore in 14:47.83. Elsbeth Denton and Haley Moody wrapped up the scoring for UA with Denton posting a 20th-place time of 15:05.24 and Moody finishing 23rd in 15:13.73.
Dayle VanEss and Sara Vaughn finished just behind UA's scorers in 28th and 33rd, respectively. Meghan Hawkins (40), Lillian Goodman (42) and Claire Turner (45) also finished in the top-50 of the 120-runner field.
The Tide continues its early season training over the next two weeks leading up to its next competition and only home meet of the season, the Crimson Classic, on Sept. 18.
Belmont-Vanderbilt Opener Team Scoring
Percy Ward Park - 4 Kilometers
1. Vanderbilt - 27
2. Western Kentucky - 59
3. Alabama - 65
4. Lipscomb - 87
5. Belmont - 139
5. Middle Tennessee State - 139
7. Tennessee - 201
8. Memphis - 245
9. Austin Peay - 268
10. UT-Martin - 297
11. Bethel College - 350
12. Trevecca Nazarene - 384
Alabama Results
5. Andrea Torske - 14:32.43
10. Katlyn Will - 14:41.59
11. Leigh Gilmore - 14:47.83
20. Elsbeth Denton - 15:05.24
23. Haley Moody - 15:13.73
28. Dayle VanEss - 15:20.66
33. Sara Vaughn - 15:24.90
40. Meghan Hawkins - 15:33.06
42. Lillian Goodman - 15:35.15
45. Claire Turner - 15:38.31
55. Megan Williams - 15:48.74
64. Palee Myres - 16:00.34
