Concord's young Cross Country teams run, hop, climb and sometimes splash during their course of their meets.
They also can sweep.
Strong showings by the Mountain Lions squads last weekend has resulted in two CU freshmen sweeping the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's Runners of the Week awards.
Chelsea Callaway won women's honors, and Craig Pritt the men's award, for the week of September 29.
The Concord women won the University division title outright at last Saturday's 26th Annual Greensboro Invitational in Greensboro, NC. The Lady Lions finished better than three Division I teams in the process – Marshall, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.
Callaway (Beaver, WV/Shady Spring HS) spearheaded the Concord effort by finishing third in the individual standings, covering a rainy 5K course in 19:24.0. She was one of three Concord runners in the top ten.
The Concord men finished fourth in the University division in Greensboro. Mars Hill (NC) was the only Division II team to finish ahead of the Mountain Lions. Meanwhile, Concord narrowly trailed two Division I squads (Marshall and Virginia Commonwealth) and finished ahead of three others (Winston-Salem State, North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T).
Pritt (Terra Alta, WV/Preston, HS) was Concord's top runner, completing the 8K distance in 26:20.2 to finish in 10th place. He was one of two Mountain Lions runners in the top 20.
"We had a very strong showing in Greensboro, and Chelsea and Craig ran great races," said Concord head coach Mike Cox. "They're both freshmen, and I think they have a shot to do very well at the WVIAC Championships (on October 24)."
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The Concord men remain 9th in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings, released September 29 by the U.S. Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Once again, Concord is one of three WVIAC teams in the poll. Wheeling Jesuit is sixth and Seton Hill is ninth. Edinboro (PA) is the region's top-ranked team.
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Both CU Cross Country teams return to competition next Saturday, October 3, at the Greater Louisville Classic in Lousville, KY. The men's meet starts at 9:30 am EDT; the women's competition begins at 10:15.
