Results
HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – The 13th-ranked SCAD Savannah men’s cross country team turned in a dominant performance to claim the team title at the Sun Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
The Bees boasted the top four finishers and six of the top nine en route to a team score of 16 points to easily outpace runner-up Southeastern, which finished with 68 points. Three SCAD runners led the pack for the entire 8K race before senior Matthew Smith crossed the line first in 25:45 to claim the individual title. Teammates Aesop Brown and Callum Drake finished within a half-second of Smith.
Southeastern’s Trae Miller finished fifth to claim one of four individual at-large bids to the NAIA National Championships, along with Ave Maria’s Gabriel Hogan, USCB’s Nic O’Neill and Webber International’s Sean Trainor.
Smith was named the Runner of the Year, SCAD freshman Max Groff earned Newcomer of the Year honors with a fourth-place finish, and Patrick Reagan was voted the Coach of the Year as the Bees racked up the hardware.
Ave Maria senior John Gargano was voted the conference Champions of Character award winner. Gargano, who serves as president of AMU’s Student Government Association and is a Mother Teresa Scholar, has traveled to Calcutta, India, to serve with the Missionaries of Charity and volunteers more than 10 hours a week with local charities, in addition to being highly involved with a number of groups on campus.
ALL-SUN CONFERENCE
First Team
Matthew Smith, SCAD Savannah
Aesop Brown, SCAD Savannah
Callum Drake, SCAD Savannah
Max Groff, SCAD Savannah
Trae Miller, Southeastern
Sebastian O’Dell, SCAD Savannah
Gabriel Hogan, Ave Maria
Second Team
Nic O’Neill, USCB
Linden Weitz, SCAD Savannah
Sean Trainor, Webber International
Jacob Pacifici, Southeastern
Avonte Boykin, Keiser
Alvaro Rivadeneira, Webber International
Micah Drum, Southeastern
Runner of the Year
Matthew Smith, SCAD Savannah
Newcomer of the Year
Max Groff, SCAD Savannah
Champion of Character
John Gargano, Ave Maria
Coach of the Year
Patrick Reagan, SCAD Savannah
All-Academic Team
Joseph Swehla, Ave Maria
Ethan Weltens, Ave Maria
Thomas Mullally, Ave Maria
Prince Coker, Johnson & Wales
Raell Armijos, Johnson & Wales
Callum Drake, SCAD Savannah
William Glaser, SCAD Savannah
Matthew Smith, SCAD Savannah
Drew Smith, Southeastern
Stephen Pena, Southeastern
Kael Gouriluk, Southeastern
Aaron Harper, Southeastern
Emilio Giler, Warner
James Harkless, Warner