On September 22, the Battler Cross Country Teams headed to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio for the Ohio Invitational. Despite the presence of two Division-I schools on the men’s side and three Division-I institutions on the women’s side, the Battlers had a strong showing.

On the men’s side, Grafton native Scott Gemberling placed 14^th with a time of 26:34 to lead the Battlers. With a time of 29:50.20, sophomore Luke Unger finished 31^st, and was followed consecutively by junior Drew Richardson (30:06.30), and freshmen Mack Triplett (30:21.90) and Zach Serian (30:55). The team finished third with 82 points behind the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University.

A Grafton native also paced the Lady Battlers. Junior Nicole Tingler ran the 5K course in 20:15.60, which was good enough for 19^th place. Sophomores Katie Antonik and Chelsea Hanne finished 22^nd and 33^rd, respectively, with times of 20:29.80 and 21:46.

Hillary McConnell crossed the finish line immediately after Hanne with a time of 21:51.40 and was followed by Stacey Lewis in 36^th with a time of 22:34.70. Overall, the team finished fourth behind the University of Cincinnati, Ohio University, and Cleveland State University with a total of 104 points.

Both teams will be headed to Rio Grande, Ohio next Saturday, September 29, for the University of Rio Grande Invitational.

Westminster and Marietta Results

After a strong finish to the 2006 season, Alderson-Broaddus’ cross country coaches Jim Seaton and Heather McDaniel hoped to pick up where they left off. However, they would have to rely on several new faces to complement only a few returning runners. Scott Gemberling and Drew Richardson will share the leadership role for the men, since Ryan Skotnicki, a former WVIAC Freshman of the Year, is redshirted for the season. Returning to the women’s team are Katie Antonik, Chelsea Hanne, Chelsey Taylor, Kacy King, and Nicole Tingler.

Both the men’s and women’s teams opened their seasons Labor Day weekend at the Fisher Invitational at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Ohio. Junior Scott Gemberling won the men’s race for the Battlers with a time of 27:35.8. The team finished third out of nine, with 62 points. The women finished fifth out of eight with 130 points.

The following weekend, the Battlers made the short drive to Elkins for the Forest Festival Invitational, hosted by Davis and Elkins College. Sophomore Katie Antonik was the top finisher for the AB Women, as she captured 11^th place with a time of 25:41.94. Junior Nicole Tingler followed right behind with a time of 25:57.07. Sophomore Chelsea Hanne and freshman Hillary McConnell finished 27^th and 34^th, respectively with times of 27:38.80 and 28:16.19. Overall, the team finished fifth with 125 points.

In the men’s race, Gemberling, a native of Grafton, once again was the top finisher for A-B with a third place finish and a time of 29:04.76. Sophomore Luke Unger followed at 24^th (31:21.09). Freshman Coty Campbell and sophomore Drew Richardson finished 32^nd and 33^rd, respectively with times of 32:10.79 and 32:19.78. A point total of 125 gave the men a sixth place finish.

On Saturday, September 15, the Battlers ran at the Carl L. Broughton Invitational at the Broughton Nature Preserve in Marietta, Ohio. Gemberling finished third with a time of 27:23.32 to lead A-B. Unger, a Berkeley Springs native, was 18^th with a time of 29:05.99. Freshman Mack Triplett and Barrackville native, Richardson recorded times of 29:33.94 and 29:34.61 to finish back to back at 24^th and 25^th. The Battlers finished third with a total of 85 points.

Antonik, a resident of Bellaire, Ohio, finished seventh in the women’s race with a time of 20:41.44. Tingler, also a Grafton native, finished in eighth with a time of 21:00.35. A 21:37.16 finish by Hanne, an Aliquippa, Pennsylvania native and a 22:04.24 finish by McConnell of Terra Alta were good enough for 16^th and 20^th place finishes. The women also finished third with a total of 79 points.

Both squads will return to action on September 22 at the Ohio University Invitational in Athens, Ohio.