SCAD Women Three-Peat as Cross Country Champs
Donnie Smith
LAKELAND, Fla.—The Bees of SCAD-Savannah picked up their third straight women’s cross country title, winning the 2015 Sun Conference Championship at Holloway Park, finishing 15 points better than the nearest competition.
The Bees were led by Charlotta Zeiler, who completed the 5,000 meter course in 18:47, finishing second behind USC Beaufort’s Betsy Douglas. SCAD also had the fourth, seventh, ninth, and tenth place runners to finish with a team score of 32.
Along with Zeiler, the Bees had Caroline Cook and Alessa Reuffurth earn First Team All-Sun Conference honors, and Courtney Pansza, Caroline Lepesant, Diana Gorin, and Rachel Campbell earn second team honors.
SCAD had an average team time of 19:31, and had its top five across the line in under 20:10.
Douglas cruised to Runner of the Year accolades, covering the terrain in 18:26; 11 seconds ahead of Zeiler.
Southeastern finished second, led by Megan Fitzgerald, who was third across the line in a time of 18:55. Sydni Ogilvie and Julie Kaster each earned First Team All-Sun Conference honors, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.
USC Beaufort was third with Abigail Lackey earning second team honors, finishing in eighth place, as well as Douglas on the first team. The Sand Sharks bested fourth place Ave Maria by 22 points, and Webber International finished fifth with a team score of 147.
The Champion of Character recipient was Clare Eckard of Ave Maria, who is a sophomore representative for the Student Government Association, where she is the chair of the communications committee, and is President of Life Runners. She was a part of a 15-person team that biked from Dallas to Chicago, an average of 140 miles per day, to create awareness and raise funds for pregnancy resource centers. The nine day trip raised $56,000 to support 23 pregnancy centers in 13 states.
Team Results
- SCAD- 32
- Southeastern- 47
- USCB- 82
- Ave Maria- 104
- Webber- 147
- Warner- 177
- Keiser- 184
- Johnson & Wales- 222
- St. Thomas – 224
First Team All-Sun Conference:
Betsy Douglas, USCB
Charlotta Zeiler, SCAD-Savannah
Megan Fitzgerald, Southeastern
Caroline Cook, SCAD-Savannah
Sydni Ogilvie, Southeastern
Julia Kaster, Southeastern
Alessa Reuffurth, SCAD Savannah
Second Team All-Sun Conference
Abigail Lackey, USCB
Courtney Pansza, SCAD-Savannah
Caroline Lepesant, SCAD-Savannah
Kathi Whitfield, Webber International
Jaime Thomas, USCB
Diana Gorin, SCAD-Savannah
Rachel Campbell, SCAD-Savannah
Newcomer of the Year
Julie Kaster, Southeastern
Champion of Character
Clare Eckard, Ave Maria
Coach of the Year
Patrick Reagan, SCAD-Savannah
Academic All-Sun Conference
Clare Eckard, Ave Maria
Brigid Lennon, Ave Maria
Jessica Ebbighausen, Johnson & Wales
Edith Engles, SCAD-Savannah
Christina Glover, SCAD-Savannah
Kelsey Higgins, SCAD-Savannah
Nicole Kurtz, SCAD-Savannah
Monica Medrano, SCAD-Savannah
Alessa Reuffurth, SCAD-Savannah
Lauren Waage, SCAD-Savannah
Chloe Walter, SCAD-Savannah
Kirsten Warkow, SCAD-Savannah
Anna Ahrens, Southeastern
Jordyn Bench, Southeastern
Sarah Deibner, Southeastern
Megan Fitzgerald, Southeastern
Kendall Hayes, Southeastern
Elsa Hoglund, Southeastern
Sydni Ogilvie, Southeastern
Emily Scott, Southeastern
Rachel Davis, Southeastern
Claudia Avila, St. Thomas
Carson Catasus, St. Thomas
Jaime Thomas, USCB
Charisa Broadway, Warner
Jessica Hester, Webber International
Rachel Fredrick, Webber International