Sept. 17, 2010
For Immediate Release September 17, 2010
WSSU Cross Country Teams Open 2010 Season with Strong Effort at Wolfpack Invitational Rams, Lady Rams get solid start to the season
CARY, NC - The Winston-Salem State Rams and Lady Rams cross country teams got the 2010 season off to a strong start at the 17th Annual Wolfpack Invitational. Both teams posted solid efforts at the meet as the teams competed against squads from a number of top NCAA Division I and II teams.
Both the Rams and Lady Rams had great efforts at the events. The Rams placed fourth at the event with 109 total points while the Lady Rams finished fifth with 166 points. Both teams led all Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) teams at the event. The Lady Rams were especially impressive, defeating the defending CIAA champion Saint Augustine Lady Falcons.
"We had a really good showing for our first meet of the season," WSSU cross country head coach Inez Turner said. "It was especially good to see how well we performed against the other CIAA schools."
It was the Rams' upperclassmen who led the way for the team with junior Aaron Barnes finishing 26th at the event with a 16:39.5 in the men's 5K run. Fellow junior Desmond Wiggan finished 33rd with a 17:05.4. Freshman Kevin Rice had a great collegiate debut, placing 35th with a 17:20.1. Sophomore Andrew Chebii, who finished fifth at last season's Wolfpack Invitational was challenging for the lead, but unable to finish due to an injury.
The Lady Rams saw their young runners step up for some strong efforts at the meet. Sophomore Manuela Rigaud led the way for the Lady Rams, placing 49th with a 20:36.6 in the women's 5K run. Freshman Brittany Killebrew added a 53rd place finish with a 20:58.3 at the event.
The Rams and Lady Rams will return to action next Saturday when the teams take part in the Greensboro Invitational at Hagan Stone Park in nearby Greensboro, N.C. For more information on Rams and Lady Rams cross country, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.