Men’s Cross Country Finishes Seventh at ACC Championships

Oct. 31, 2005

Tallahassee, FL – The Clemson men finished seventh out of 12 teams at the ACC Cross Country Championships on Monday from Miccosukee Greenway. The team title was claimed by Virginia with 30 points. The Cavaliers edged out host school Florida State (38). N.C. State finished third with 103 points, while Wake Forest (136) and Duke (142) completed the top five. Virginia Tech scored 174 points to get sixth place, one point better than Clemson’s 175.

Individually, Matt Clark finished second overall with a time of 23:51.2 on the 8K courses. It was the highest finish for a Tiger since Joe Gibson ran second in 1998. Clark earned All-ACC honors for the first time in his career. The event winner was Andrew Lemoncello of Florida State with a time of 23:43.1.

“It’s been a long time since we had a guy finish that well,” head coach Bob Pollock said in reference to Clark’s runner-up finish. “But overall, it was a disappointing finish. Not having Brian (Soder) full strength hurt us. But a lot of our guys ran their best times.”

Soder, the team’s #2 runner all season, has been nursing an injury as of late. He finished 73rd overall with a time of 25:55.8. Clemson’s second scorer on Monday was sophomore Sean Reilly with a time of 25:02.3. Fellow sophomore Greg Isaacs finished third on the team and 42nd overall with a time of 25:09.3. Eric Soder (45th, 25:14.6) and Clay Pendleton (52nd, 25:28.3) completed the scoring for the Tigers. A pair of freshmen competed Monday for Clemson, as Sam Bryfczynski finished 55th at 25:29.2, while Bryce Iverson was 66th overall with a time of 25:45.7.

The Tigers return to action on November 12 to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship in Greenville, NC.

2005 ACC Men’s Cross Country Championship Results

1. Virginia (30 points)

2. Florida State (38)

3. NC State (103)

4. Wake Forest (136)

5. Duke (142)

6. Virginia Tech (174)

7. Clemson (175)

8. North Carolina (198)

9. Boston College (201)

10. Maryland (304)

11. Miami (342)

12. Georgia Tech (356)

2005 ACC Men’s Cross Country All-Conference Team

1. Andrew Lemoncello, Florida State (23:43.1)

2. Matt Clark, Clemson (23:51.2)

3. Tom Lancashire, Florida State (23:53.5)

4. Jan Foerster, Virginia (24:00.4)

5. Andrew Dumm, Virginia (24:00.9)

6. Soeren Linder, Virginia (24:05.0)

7. Ryan Foster, Virginia (24:08.0)

8. Andy Biladeau, Virginia (24:10.8)

9. Phil Nichols, Florida State (24:12.6)

10 Sean Burris, Florida State (24:13.4)

11. Sean Stevens, Wake Forest (24:17.4)

12. Chris Spooner, Duke (24:20.6)

13. Alex Tatu, Virginia (24:21.5)

14. John Crews, NC State (24:22.2)

Clemson Individual Results 2. Matt Clark 23:51.2 38. Sean Reilly 25:02.3 42. Greg Isaacs 25:09.3 45. Eric Soder 25:14.6 52. Clay Pendleton 25:28.3 55. Sam Bryfcznsyki 25:29.2 66. Bryce Iverson 25:45.7 73. Brian Soder 25:55.8