2004 Men's & Women's Cross Country


 CCSU’s Kreutzer places 2nd at 2004 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships Sat. 

Evansville, Ind. – November 20, 2004 – Clayton College & State University freshman Allison Kreutzer came three seconds from winning the individual NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship Saturday hosted by the University of Southern Indiana.

Competing against 188 of the nation’s top Division II runners, Kreutzer was the runner-up in the race, finishing second to Chelsea Smith of Brigham-Young Hawaii. She finished with a time of 21:36 on the 6K course, just three seconds behind Smith. Kreutzer becomes the first Clayton State athlete to be named an All-America in cross country, as the top 15 runners in the event received the honor.

Kruetzer finished strong, passing several in the field near the end of the race. She was in 12th at the two-mile split before moving up 10 places to finish second.

The All-America honor puts an exclamation point on a record-breaking season for Kreutzer. Earlier this season, she claimed the title of the fastest female runner in the Peach Belt Conference and in the State of Georgia, winning both the Georgia Collegiate Championships and the Peach Belt Conference Championships in 2004.

Kreutzer (Lilburn,GA) became the second true freshman to win the PBC women’s title, speeding away from Kennesaw State University runner Patrina Hayes by more than 24 seconds in the final mile. Kreutzer set a new school record in the PBC race with a time of 17:24, and her time was a course record and the fastest to win a Peach Belt meet.

Kreutzer won five races this year, capturing the Georgia Collegiate, the Furman Invitational, the Wingate Invitational and the college division of the Georgia State Invitational. She placed second in the NCAA Division II South Regional with a school record of time of 21:08, which qualified her for the NCAA Division II National Championships.

She received the Peach Belt Runner of the Year, All-Conference and PBC Freshman of the Year awards. Her four 5K times run this year are the four fastest 5K’s in school history and her two 6K times are also the two fastest 6K’s in the program’s 10 years.

Kreutzer headed to NCAA Cross Country Championships after placing 2nd at region meet; men’s squad finishes 6th

Memphis, TN – November 6, 2004 – Clayton College & State University freshman Allison Kreutzer finished second Saturday at the NCAA Division II South Regional and will be headed to the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, November 20th.  The men had the top Clayton State team performance, finishing sixth in the 22-team meet hosted by Christian Brothers University.

Kreutzer (Lilburn, GA), who has won five meets this season including the Peach Belt Conference Championships, will be the first Laker runner to run at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which will be held this season in Evansville, Ind. Her second place finish in the race qualified her for the national meet as an individual.

She finished 12 seconds behind the winner Hellen Singoei, a senior from Harding University, with a time of 21:08. Kreutzer’s time was the second fastest 6K in school history after setting the school record earlier this season. She becomes the first All-Region selection since Joni Guffey and senior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA) received the honor in 2001.

Junior Jose Garduno (Los Angeles, CA) led the Laker men to a sixth place finish with a new school record time in the 10K. He placed 25th in the event with a time of 33:00, breaking former standout Tony Juarez’s record of 33:07 set in 2002. Junior Manuel Aguilar (Los Angeles, CA) also had an impressive performance, placing 27th with time of 33:06, the second fastest time in school history.

The Clayton State men finished less than 20 points from fourth place in the meet. Harding, Kennesaw State University and Florida Southern College, the respective winners of the Gulf South, Peach Belt and Sunshine State Conferences were the top three finishers in the region meet. The Laker team time was the fastest 10K team time in school history.

Behind Garduno and Aguilar, seniors Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) and Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) came in the 37th and 38th spots, respectively. Berkhedle’s time of 33:39 was the fourth fastest in school history and Campos’ time of 33:43 was the sixth fastest all-time. Christian Torres (Huntington Park, CA) rounded out the scoring for Clayton State with a time of 34:16, the 17th fastest 10K in school history. Peter Gajda (Mermaid Mist, Australia) placed 51st with a time of 34:30, the school’s 20th fastest time.

Behind Kreutzer on the women’s side, Daniel placed 41st with a time of 23:54, the 14th fastest 6K in school history.  Senior Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) posted the 20th fastest time in school history, finishing 49th with a time of 24:15. Freshman Brittany West (Roswell, GA) finished 87th with a time of 25:49, in front of freshman Katelyn Stache (Bolingbrook, IL) in the 99th spot with a time of 26:08. Junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, AZ) finished 103rd with a time of 26:28, followed by senior Stephanie Gilbert in 116th with a time of 27:05.

The University of Tampa won the women’s region meet, followed by Harding, Kennesaw State and the University of North Florida.

Clayton State Runners Ready for NCAA Region  

MORROW, Ga. – November 4, 2004 – The Clayton College & State University cross country teams are optimistic heading into Saturday’s NCAA Division II South Regional Cross Country Championships in Memphis, Tenn.  At stake Saturday are four women’s team berths and three men’s team berths to the NCAA Division II national meet later this month in Evansville, Ind., as well as individual berths for the top finishers. 

“Our bunch is ready to race,” said Laker head coach Mike Mead.  “For the first time since we joined the NCAA in 1997, we’re optimistic of our chances of having Clayton State represented at the national meet,” said Mead. 

The Lady Lakers have a tall challenge to crack the Top 4 as six teams from their region are ranked in the Top 25 nationally.  But the team’s dominate runner this season, freshman Allison Kreutzer, has the best chance to advance as an individual since Joni Guffey missed going to the national meet by one place in 2001. 

“Allison has had a phenomenal season so far,” said Mead.  “She’ll be the first to tell you that she did not anticipate having the success she’s experienced so far.”  Kreutzer, from Lilburn, Ga., has been unbeaten the past four meets, including the recent Peach Belt Conference championships in which she set a meet, course and school record of 17:24.0 for 5K en route to being named the PBC’s runner and freshman of the year. 

Mead expects Kreutzer to have serious competition from another Allison – Allison Macsas from Tampa who won the Sunshine State Conference title nearly two weeks ago in 20:35.73 for 6K.  “It could very well be a battle of the Allisons come Saturday,” said Mead.  “Macsas has a teammate that is tough, too, and Harding University has two fast runners to challenge for the region’s individual title.” 

For Kreutzer to advance to nationals as an individual, she needs to either finish in the Top 5 overall or be one of the first two individuals not on one of the four teams advancing to the national meet.  As for the Lady Laker team, Mead believes that his squad should improve over last season’s eighth place finish at the region meet. 

 “We’re going to be without Heather Krehbiel (injury) our No. 2 runner, but we can finish as high as sixth place if we run to our potential as a team,” said Mead.  “Last season we were pretty beat up, but we’re much healthier as a team this season heading into the region meet.”  

The team’s best finish at the region meet came during its first season in the NCAA with a third place in 1997.  “We just missed finishing second by five points in 1997,” said Mead.  “The region has gotten mighty tougher since then.” 

Mead also has high hopes for senior Kim Daniel who, along with Brittany Precht and Stephanie Gilbert, will be running in their last region cross country meet for Clayton State.  Daniel, plagued by ankle injuries throughout her collegiate career, has an outside shot at the second individual spot for nationals. 

“When Kim is healthy, she is a competitor,” said Mead.  “She earned All-Region honors as a freshman and it would be great for her to finish her career doing it again and put herself in a position to go to nationals.” 

Mead says that the women’s team will need aggressive racing from junior Marissa Reyes and freshmen Katelyn Stache and Brittany West to top last season’s region finish.  “Marissa has made steady improvement the past few weeks and our freshmen have done well all season, considering their limited cross country background,” said Mead. 

Meantime, the Lakers look to improve on their best region finish of sixth place coming last season.  Mead believes his men’s team has the experience necessary to vie for its best finish ever.  Led by junior college transfers Manuel Aguilar and Jose Garduno this season, the Lakers hope to pull off a surprise effort come Saturday.  The Lakers had their best effort of the season at the Peach Belt Conference meet with a second place finish.   

“Manny and Jose, as well as Oscar (Campos) and Cristian (Torres) have competed in some big meets when they were all teammates at East Los Angeles College,” said Mead.  “The 10K distance better suits Manny and Jose and this bunch is motivated.  Several teams ranked ahead of us in the polls did run well at their conference meets.  While we have not run the times as a team like last season’s squad, we’re better prepared and more experienced for this meet,” said Mead. 

In addition to the foursome from California, the Lakers will also run senior Adil Berkhedle, junior Jacob Elison and freshman Peter Gajda.  Berkhedle will be running in his final region meet for Clayton State.  Both he and Gajda are expected to be a major factor in the Lakers’ success on Saturday. 

“We’ve run well as a pack this season,” said Mead.  “We’ll need to race smart early and attack the race during the second half.  We’re just fortunate to have run a 10K earlier this season.” 

Saturday’s meet will be run at Shelby Farms, located just outside of Memphis.  The men’s 10K race will start at 9 a.m. CST, followed with the women’s 6K race at 10:15 a.m. CST.  The Top 15 individual finishers will earn All-Region recognition. 

“We’ve had a good season, but Saturday’s finishes will measure how the program has progressed,” said Mead.  “We look forward to the challenge ahead.”

 

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Kreutzer wins Peach Belt individual title; 
Clayton State men’s team places second

Greenwood, SC – October 23, 2004 – Clayton College & State University freshman Allison Kreutzer claimed the title of the fastest female in the Peach Belt Conference Saturday, and the men’s team took conference runner-up honors for the second straight year to highlight an impressive Clayton State performance Saturday at the 2004 Peach Belt Conference Championships hosted by Lander University in Greenwood, SC.

Kreutzer (Lilburn,GA) became the second true freshman to win the PBC women’s title, speeding away from Kennesaw State University runner Patrina Hayes by more than 24 seconds in the final mile. Kreutzer set a new school record in the race with a time of 17:24, and her time was a course record and the fastest to win a Peach Belt meet.

The Clayton State men narrowly placed second in the meet, finishing a single point in front of the University of North Florida. Kennesaw State University won the men’s meet as well as the women’s title. The Clayton State women placed third for the third straight season behind KSU and North Florida.

Kreutzer has won every race of her young college career, and before Saturday’s meet victory, she won the Georgia Collegiate, the Furman Invitational, the Wingate Invitational and the college division of the Georgia State Invitational.

Along with Kreutzer, who received Peach Belt Runner of the Year, All-Conference and PBC Freshman of the Year awards, senior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA) also was named to the All-Conference team, becoming the school’s first four-time All-Conference recipient. She finished ninth with a time of 18:55, the 14th fastest performance in school history. Kreutzer became the school’s second Freshman of the Year in the last four year, as Daniel was also Freshman of the Year in 2001.

Junior Manuel Augilar (Los Angeles, CA) received All-Conference honors on the men’s team, placing seventh with a time of 26:10, the eighth fastest time in school history. Junior Jose Garduno (Los Angeles, CA) placed 13th with a  time of 26:32, the school’s 18th fastest performance.

Senior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) was the team’s third fastest runner at the meet, placing 15th with a time of 26:44, the 25th fastest in school history, followed by senior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) in 16th with a time of 26:54. Freshman Peter Gajda (Mermaid Mist, Australia) rounded out the scoring for Clayton State with a time of 27:10 and a 17th place finish. Junior Cristian Torres (Huntington Park, CA) placed 18th with a time of 27:13, followed sophomore Jacob Elison (Jonesboro, GA) in 54th with a time of 33:06.

Behind Kreutzer and Daniel, senior Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) finished 26th with a personal best time of 20:29, followed by junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, AZ) in 32nd with a time of 20:56. Freshman Katelyn Stache (Bolingbrook, IL) ran a personal best 20:57, placing 33rd, followed by fellow freshman Brittany West (Roswell, GA) running a personal best time of 21:05 to place 35th. Senior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro, GA) finished 40th with a time of 21:34, and sophomore Kristy Young (Conyers, GA) finished with a personal best time of 22:45.

The Laker women’s team was not at full strength, as junior standout Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) was held out of the meet due to an injury, breaking her string of two straight All-Peach Belt Conference performances.

Clayton State’s men’s and women’s team will take off next week before returning to action in the NCAA Division II South Regional on Saturday, November 6th in Memphis, TN.

Clayton State Runners Gear for Peach Belt Meet

 MORROW, GA -- October 20, 2004 -- The Clayton College & State University cross country squads are readying for the Peach Belt Conference Championships on Saturday at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C.  The Clayton State squads will be making their 10th appearance in the conference championship meet.  

Both teams hope to improve on their standing in the league, but the men will have a tough time taking the title from Kennesaw State after finishing second in the conference last season while the women, banged up with injuries this fall, look for improvement after finishing third in the Peach Belt the past two seasons. 

"We've had a good season to this point," said head coach Mike Mead.  "Kennesaw State is the favorite in both races and they’re going to be hard to beat. I feel confident we can at least match the finishes we had last season, but we cannot take anyone for granted.” 

Saturday’s race will feature seven teams in the men’s 8K race that starts at 9 a.m. on the grounds of the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home campus in Greenwood.  The women’s 5K race will feature 10 teams and starts at 10 a.m.  The Top 10 individual finishers in the men’s race will earn All-Peach Belt Conference honors while the Top 14 in the women’s field will earn the distinction.  Two Clayton State runners, seniors Kim Daniel and Adil Berkhedle will be each vying for their fourth All-PBC award that would be a first in Clayton State history. 

The Lakers have had another strong season, led by junior college transfers Jose Garduno and Manuel Aguilar.  Garduno has finished as the first Laker in three of the four meets Clayton State has run in so far this season while Aguilar led the Lakers at Furman two weekends ago.  “We have a solid Top 5 and the whole team has trained well as a unit,” said Mead. 

Besides Garduno, Aguilar and Berkhedle, the Lakers have senior Oscar Campos, junior Cristian Torres, and freshman Peter Gajda who have been in the Top 5 on the team at point during the season.  The Lakers’ seventh man this season has been sophomore Jacob Elison.  “Oscar has been our most consistent runner on race day and Cristian and Peter have been showing steady improvement throughout the season,” said Mead.  “We have to run more aggressively come Saturday and not get too hung up with times.  We’ve packed nicely this season, but we need to run as an attack pack.” 

The lady Lakers have run well despite some key injuries this season.  “I’m afraid we’re going to be without Heather Krehbiel and Tanika Smit this weekend,” Mead reported.  Krehbiel, a junior, has run in only half the meets this season due to two separate injuries while Smit, a sophomore, is still trying to overcome an injury suffered last cross country season.  Krehbiel, the team MVP the past two seasons, was attempting her third straight All-PBC honor. 

While Daniel will be going for her fourth all-conference honor, freshman Allison Kreutzer will be seeking Clayton State’s first Peach Belt individual title on Saturday, as she will enter the meet the heavy favorite.  “Allison has had an incredible season so far, “said Mead.  Kreutzer has won all four of her collegiate races this season and the nearest PBC foe has run about 25 seconds off her season-best of 17:50. 

“We have a bona fide frontrunner in Allison, but it’s how our next four runners place that will determine our team finish,” said Mead.  Daniel, the 2001 PBC Freshman of the Year, has a realistic shot at earning her fourth straight All-PBC placing, but the lady Lakers will need season-best efforts to get past either Kennesaw State or North Florida. 

Senior Brittany Precht has made big gains this season and has filled in at No. 3 while freshmen Katelyn Stache and Brittany West have made big contributions.  Showing improvement lately has been senior Stephanie Gilbert who is off her 2003 times.  Also showing improvement is junior transfer Marissa Reyes while cross country newcomer Kristy Young will also run on Saturday. 

“This is the second of the three races we focus on during the season,” said Mead. “How we run Saturday will determine our mental readiness for the NCAA region meet in two weeks.” 

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Kreutzer wins her fourth meet of season, leads women to 9th place at Furman Invit.; men finish 10th

Greenville, SC – October 9, 2004 –For the fourth time this season, Clayton College & State freshman Allison Kreutzer won a cross country meet, this time capturing top honors Saturday in field of over 230 runners at the 5K Furman Invitational in Greenville, S.C.

Kreutzer (Lilburn,GA) won the race by less than a second, out-kicking Katie Sujkowski, a NCAA Division I runner from Appalachian State, down the stretch. She finished with a time of 18:01.99, the second fastest 5K in school history.

As a team, the Laker women finished ninth in the field of 27 teams, which featured several Division I schools. Appalachian State, Davidson and Furman took the top three spots in the meet.

The Laker men finished 10th overall and was led by junior Manuel Aguilar (Los Angeles, CA) in 33rd place with a time of 27:01.30. Eastern Kentucky, Appalachian State and Furman were the top three schools in the men’s race.

Kreutzer’s win gives her four meet titles on the season. She won the Georgia Collegiate last week, blazing through the field with a school best 5K time of 17:50.27. Kreutzer won the Wingate Invitational earlier this season, setting a new school record in 6K with a time of 22:11 and won the college division of the 5K Georgia State Invitational in her Clayton State debut, posting a time of 18:02.

Behind Kreutzer, senior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA), placed 42nd with a time of 19:52.31, followed by senior Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) finishing 104th with a time of 21:02.81. Senior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro, GA) placed 124th with a time of 21:36.84, and freshman Brittany West (Roswell, GA) rounded out the scoring for Clayton State in 130th with a time of 21:43.35.

The Laker women’s team was not at full strength and could have possibly finished higher in the team standings, but junior standout Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) was held out of the meet due to an injury.

On the men’s side, senior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) was the second fastest Laker runner on the day, posting a time of 27:35.37 and finishing in the 58th position. Junior Jose Garduno (Los Angeles, CA) placed 70th with a time of 27:49.71, followed by senior Adil Berkhedle in 75th with a time of 27:54.30. Junior Cristian Torres (Huntington Park, CA) rounded out the scoring for Clayton State, placing 111th with a time of 28:31.06, followed by Jacob Elison (Jonesboro, GA) in 235th with a time of 36:45.58.

In other finishes for the women, freshman Katelyn Stache (Bolingbrook, IL) placed 131st with a time of 21:45.53, followed by junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, AZ) in 144th with a time of 22:07.75. Sophomore Tanika Smit (Benoni, South Africa) placed 167th with a time of 22:47.76, followed by sophomore Kristy Young (Conyers, GA) in 203rd with a time of 24:18.03.

Clayton State will take off next week before returning to action on Saturday, October 23rd in the Peach Belt Conference Championships. The conference meet will be hosted by Lander University in Greenwood, SC.

 

Kreutzer wins Georgia Collegiate, leads women 
to 3rd place finish; men place 4th in state meet

Rome, GA – October  1, 2004 – Clayton College & State freshman Allison Kruetzer won the title of Georgia’s top 2004 collegiate female cross-country runner Friday, blazing through the field of over 150 runners to capture the individual title of the 39th annual Georgia Collegiate Championships hosted by Berry College in Rome, GA.

Along with Kreutzer (Lilburn,GA), who becomes Clayton State’s first runner to win the Georgia Collegiate meet, the Laker men’s and women’s teams had a total of four runners receive All-State honors.  Junior Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA), junior Jose Garduno (Los Angeles, CA) and senior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) also received the honor.

As a team, the Laker women placed third in the event behind Kennesaw State University and Berry College, while the men’s squad finished fourth behind Berry, Kennesaw State and the State University of West Georgia.

For the third time in as many races, Kreutzer shattered the school record and went on to capture her third individual meet title of the season. This time, she won the race with a time of 17:50.27 in the 5K, more than 15 seconds faster than the second place finisher.

Kreutzer won the Wingate Invitational two weeks ago, setting a new school record in 6K with a time of 22:11, breaking former Laker standout Joni Guffey’s 6K mark of 22:33 set in 2001. She won the college division of the Georgia State Invitational in her Clayton State debut at Decatur’s Panthersville course, posting a time of 18:02, breaking the school 5K record set last season by Heather Krehbiel of 18:25.

En route to her All-State performance, Krehbiel, who has been nursing a sore ankle, came back strong with a solid top-10 performance in the meet. She placed ninth in the race with a time of 19:22.80. The All-State honor for Krehbiel was her third such performance in as many years.

Garduno had the top finish for the men’s team, placing 10th in the race with a time of 26:27.49, garnering him All-State honors. His time was the 16th fastest in school history. Campos placed 14th in the race and also was named to the All-State squad with a time of 26:43.15, the 21st  best in school history.

In other top finishers for the women, senior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA), who is also coming back from an ankle injury, continued her progression back to regular form, placing 20th with a time of 19:54.71. Senior Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) had the fourth best time for the Lakers, running a personal best time of 20:40.37 to place 34th. Freshman Katelyn Stache (Bolingbrook, IL) rounded out the scoring for Clayton State, placing 52nd with a time of 21:30.54.

Behind Campos on the men’s side, junior Manuel Aguilar (Los Angeles, CA) placed 16th with a time of 26:47.47, the 23rd  fastest time in school history. Freshman Peter Gajda (Mermaid Mist, Australia) placed 18th with a time of 27:00.30, followed by junior Cristian Torres (Huntington Park, CA) rounding out the scoring for the Lakers with a 29th place finish and a time of 27:31.25.

Junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, AZ) finished in the 58th  spot with a time of 21:38.45, followed by freshman Brittany West (Roswell, GA) with a time of 21:53.37 and a 67th place finish. Senior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro, GA) finished in the 69rd spot with a time of 21:54.51, followed by sophomore Tanika Smit (Benoni, South Africa) in the 78th position with a time of 22:23.40. Sophomore Kristy Young (Conyers, GA) finished 110th with a time of 23:53.99 and freshman Amy Captain (Rome, GA) placed 121st with a time of 25:11.05.

Also on the men’s side, senior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) placed 32st with a time of 27:50.02, followed by sophomore Jacob Elison (Jonesboro, GA) in 98th with a time of 33:38.06.

Clayton State will return to action on Saturday, October 9, competing in the Furman Invitational in Greenville, S.C.

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Laker Runners Ready for Georgia Collegiate 
Meet Friday at Berry College 

MORROW, Ga. -- September 30, 2004 – Both Clayton College & State University cross country teams resume their fall schedule on Friday when they compete in the 39th annual Georgia Collegiate Championships at Berry College in Rome.  The Laker squads had an off week following their successful efforts at the Wingate Invitational on Sept. 18. 

This year’s Georgia Collegiate meet marks the first time that it is being contested on a Friday and the first time since 1978 – the last time Berry hosted the meet -- that the meet is not being run on Georgia State University’s home course.  Friday’s meet will begin with the women’s 5K race at 5:45 p.m., followed with the men’s 8K race at 6:30 p.m.  The top 14 individual runners from the field will earn “All-State” honors. 

Lakers head coach Mike Mead is expecting another competitive meet in both races.  “Our ladies have always done well at this meet, but I look for our men to challenge this year,” said Mead.  Last season, the lady Lakers finished third while the Lakers finished fourth. 

“We’ve had a few ladies who are overcoming injuries and I hope to have them racing again this Friday,” said Mead.  In the women’s second place finish at Wingate nearly two weeks ago, the team ran without junior Heather Krehbiel or sophomore Tanika Smit. 

“Our freshmen have had to step it up and they’ve done a nice job so far.  The team has worked hard the past two weeks and I look for continued improvement as a group,” said Mead. 

Freshman Allison Kreutzer will be leading the lady Lakers Friday as she goes for her third win in as many meets this season.  Mead hopes that senior Kim Daniel, who has been dogged by ankle injuries most of her collegiate career, will be near her usual form to support Kreutzer on Friday.  Mead also looks to senior Brittany Precht and freshmen Katelyn Stache and Brittany West to figure in the team scoring. 

On the men’s side, the Lakers will have to battle with the likes of Berry, Kennesaw State and West Georgia for the team title.  “The guys have really worked their butts off the last two weeks,” said Mead.  “They’re really focused as a team this year and I look for them to be competitive on Friday.” 

While the Laker squad is small in numbers, the team is deep with experience led by junior Jose Garduno.  At the Wingate Invitational two weeks ago, Garduno led Clayton State to the team title with a second place finish.  He’ll get support from veteran teammates Manuel Aguilar, a junior; Oscar Campos, a senior; Adil Berkhedle, a senior; and Cristian Torres, a junior.  Freshman Peter Gajda has made steady progress the past two weeks and will make his collegiate debut at the 8K distance. 

“Our men’s team will get their first test as to what to expect come time for our conference and region championships later on in the season,” said Mead.  “As long as they continue to train and race smart while staying injury-free, only time will tell.” 

Kreutzer wins again, sets another school record; 
Laker men capture Wingate Invitational team title

WINGATE, NC – September 18, 2004 – In the first two collegiate meets of her young career, Clayton College & State University freshman Allison Kreutzer is two-for-two. She has run in two Laker cross country meets, won both of them and in the process shattered two school records. 

For the second week in a row, Kreutzer (Lilburn, GA) took top honors in her race, this time setting a new school record in the 6K, winning the Wingate Invitational Saturday with a time of 22:11 in Wingate, N.C. She broke former Laker standout Joni Guffey’s 6K mark of 22:33 set in 2001. Kreutzer won the college division of the Georgia State Invitational last week at Decatur’s Panthersville course, posting a time of 18:02, breaking the school 5K record set last season by Heather Krehbiel of 18:25.

In addition to Kreutzer’s top performance, the Clayton State men’s team also brought home some hardware, capturing the first place trophy in the 10K event. Clayton State won the 18-team meet with three runners, finishing in the top nine. The Lakers finished with a meet-low 53 points, eight points ahead of St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

CCSU junior Jose Garduno (Los Angeles, CA) was the top Laker, finishing second with a time of 34:24. Other standouts for the Lakers were senior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) in sixth with a time of 35:01 and junior Manuel Aguilar (Los Angeles, CA) in ninth with a time of 35:05.

Senior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) placed 18th with a time of 35:56, followed by junior Cristian Torres (Huntington Park, CA) rounding out the scoring for the Lakers with a 20th place finish and a time of 36:01.

The Clayton State women’s squad also had an impressive team finish, placing second in the 21-team meet with 115 points behind host Wingate with 85 points. Queens University rounded out the top three with 129 points.

Behind Kreutzer, Clayton State senior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA) placed 18th with a time of 25:01, followed by senior Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) in the 26th spot with a time of 25:24. Freshman Katelyn Stache (Bolinbrook, IL) placed 33rd with a time of 26:02, while freshman Brittany West rounded out the scoring for Clayton State with a time of 26:18 and a 37th place finish.

In other finishes for the women’s team, junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, AZ) finished in 41st with a time of 26:31, followed by senior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro, GA) in 43rd with a time of 26:34. Sophomore Kristy Young (Conyers, GA) finished 83rd with a time of 28:33.  

Also on the men’s side, Clayton State freshman Peter Gajda (Mermaid Mist, Australia) placed 63rd with a time of 39:28, while sophomore Jacob Elison (Jonesboro, GA) placed 82nd with a time of 45:52.

Kreutzer becomes fastest CCSU runner in first collegiate meet; wins GA State Invite, shatters 5K record 

Decatur, Ga. – September 11, 2004 – Clayton College & State University freshman Allison Kruetzer  ran in her first collegiate cross country meet Saturday and quickly became the fastest cross-country runner in school history, shattering the school’s 5K record.  

Kreutzer (Lilburn, GA) won the college division of the Georgia State Invitational at Decatur’s Panthersville course, posting a time of 18:02.86, bettering the school record set last season by Heather Krehbiel of 18:25.13 by more than 20 seconds at the Valdosta State Blazer Invitational. Kreutzer’s finish is the highest-ever of a Clayton runner in the Georgia State meet. 

“‘Sensational’ best describes Allison’s collegiate debut with the best CCSU finish at this meet,” said head coach Mike Mead. “She blasted our 5K record, finished first among non-Division I runners and second behind only a runner from Auburn in the Division I part of the race.” 

As a team, Clayton State placed third out of 10 teams in the non-Division I portion of the meet behind Emory University and Kennesaw State University.  

Behind Keutzer’s sensational freshman debut, Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) also finished in the top 10 in the race, placing eighth with a time of 19:21.06. Senior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA) finished 27th with a time of 21:03.17, followed by senior Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) finishing 32nd with a time of 21:18.11. Freshman Katelyn Stache (Bolinbrook, IL) rounded out the scoring for Clayton State with a 42nd place finish and a time of 21:55.69. Stache’s performance was impressive, in that it was her first cross country event, having previously never run a race over 400m. 

On the men’s side, Clayton State finished fourth out of 11 teams. Emory won the meet, followed by Berry College in second and Kennesaw State third.  

Junior Jose Garduno (Los Angeles, CA), a junior college transfer from East Los Angeles College, had the top performance for the Lakers, placing 11th with a time of 27:40.63 in the 8K race. Junior Manuel Aguilar (Los Angeles, CA) placed 16th in the race and had the team’s second best finish with a time of 27:57.87.  

Senior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) placed 17th with a time of 28:03.28, followed by senior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) in the 27th spot with time of 28:43.57. Cristian Torres (Huntington Park, CA) rounded out the scoring for the Lakers with a 32nd place finish and a time of 28:50.92, followed by Jacob Elison (Jonesboro, GA) in 82nd with a time of 37:10.02.  

In other finishes for the women’s team, senior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro, GA) placed 44th with a time of 22:01.80, followed by junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, AZ) in 45th with a time of 22:07.93. Freshman Brittany West (Roswell, GA) placed 47th with a time of 22:14.28, while sophomore Tanika Smit (Benoni, South Africa) finished 53rd with a time of 22:40.84. Sophomore Kristy Young (Conyers, GA) finished 65th with a time of 23:37.44.  

Clayton State will return to action on Saturday, September 18th, competing in the Wingate Invitational in Wingate, N.C.  

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Clayton State Cross Country opens 10th Season Sat. at Georgia St. Invitational

MORROW, Ga. – September 8, 2004 – Clayton College & State University will begin its 10th season of cross country September 11 when the men’s and women’s teams compete in the Georgia State University Invitational in nearby Panthersville. The Laker runners, guided since their inception in 1995 by head coach Mike Mead and assistant coach Hugh Toro, hope to continue making headway in their 2004 campaign. 

“We have a bunch of newcomers to the program and with the folks we have returning we hope to continue where we left off in 2003,” said Mead.  In 2003, the men’s team earned their highest finishes in both the Peach Belt Conference (2nd) and NCAA Division II South Region meet (6th) while the women finished third in the PBC and eighth in the region.  “We plan to step it up another notch this season and vie for a Top Four finish at region,” said Mead. 

In order to meet this challenge, the returning veterans will need to exceed their previous best efforts while key newcomers will need to immediately step in and contribute.  “It’s too early to tell where we stack up with the rest of the teams in the Peach Belt and region,” said Mead.  “We do know Kennesaw State and North Florida with be tough to beat in the conference and region, along with other region foes Harding, West Georgia, Alabama-Huntsville, Tampa and West Florida.  I do believe we have the potential to improve over last year which was our best for both teams in terms of times.” 

WOMEN’S OUTLOOK 

The lady Lakers will have their greatest number of runners in team history with 11 women running this fall.  The squad returns five off last year’s team, including three of their Top 5.  Leading the returnees will be junior Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City), the 5K record holder (18:25.13) in cross country and a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference runner.  In her first two seasons with Clayton State, she has finished the season as the team’s No. 1 runner and is a two-time team MVP. 

One of three seniors on the squad is Kim Daniel (Macon) who can become one of two CCSU runners this season to earn All-PBC honors for an unprecedented fourth time.  Daniel has been a solid No. 2 runner for the Lakers in her previous three seasons and was an All-Region runner during her freshman year.  At last season’s PBC meet, Daniel ran her collegiate-best of 18:51 for 5K. 

Also returning for her senior season is Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro).  The former Eagles Landing Christian Academy standout turned in a personal best last season of 19:52 at the Blazer Classic in which Clayton State won with an average time of 19:08 per runner.  The third returning senior -- her second season with Clayton State -- is Brittany Precht (Smyrna).  In her first season of cross country in 2003, Precht ran a best of 21:14.  But last spring on the track, Precht ran a 19:58 for 5,000m.  Back for her sophomore season is Tanika Smit (Benoni, South Africa) who was plagued with injuries most of last season.  She turned in a 2003-best of 20:04 at the 5K distance. 

With the addition of six new faces to the women’s squad, Mead hopes at least two of the newcomers can fill the two open spots on the squad’s Top 5.  Of the six, four are freshmen.  Heading the list of freshmen is Allison Kreutzer (Lilburn) who was a standout runner at Providence Christian last season.  Kreutzer was a Top 10 finisher at last season’s Class AA state finals with a high school best of 19:02.  During track last spring, she was the Class AA runner-up in both the 1600m and 3,200m. 

The other freshmen include Brittany West (Roswell) from Roswell High School, Amy Captain (Rome) from Rome High School and Katelyn Stache (Bolingbrook, Ill.) from Plainfield High School.  West had a season-best in 2003 of 21:16 in her lone season at Roswell after moving to Georgia from Massachusetts.  Captain and Stache are primarily track & field athletes who are using cross country to prepare for the upcoming track season in 2005. 

The remaining newcomers to the Clayton State program are sophomore Kristy Young (Conyers) and junior Marissa Reyes (Tempe, Ariz.).  Young, a member of Clayton State’s soccer team last season, is making her debut in cross country this fall after running track on the lady Lakers squad last spring.  Reyes, a transfer from Mesa Community College, has a 5K-best of 19:31 and hopes to fill the spot of former Mesa and Clayton State runner Penny Tinker who completed her eligibility last season. 

“This is the biggest and most promising group of young ladies we’ve had come into the program in four or five years,” said Mead.  “Our freshmen bunch could turn out to be the best we’ve had.  Even though Amy and Katelyn have been mainly doing track, they have potential to do well in cross country.  Allison should break all our freshman records and will challenge Heather’s marks THIS season.  And Brittany West has some leg speed that is going to help us throughout the season.” 

MEN’S OUTLOOK 

Despite their success in 2003, only two runners return from last season’s 8-man roster and the squad will only be carrying seven runners this fall.  But four of the five newcomers are expected to make up for the losses to graduation and those electing not to return from 2003. 

“We experienced some glitches in the recruiting process this year,” said Mead.  “But the additions to the squad should keep us in contention this fall.” 

The two returnees to the program from 2003 are seniors Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) and Oscar Campos (El Monte, Calif.).  Berkhedle, the former 8K record holder, enters his fourth season with the program and is the second Laker beside Kim Daniel to have a shot at earning All-PBC honors for four straight seasons.  Last season, he was the team’s No. 3 runner and turned in a season-best of 26:16 for 8K.  His career best for 8K was set in 2002 with a time of 25:38.  Campos begins his second year with the Laker program after transferring in from East Los Angeles College.  Last fall, Campos was the Lakers’ No. 4 runner and turned in a personal-best time of 26:12. 

“Adil and Oscar are the nucleus of the team.  Adil is going to be back to 2002 form since he was coming off an early-season injury last year that held him back while Oscar has another year of experience to build on.” 

Campos will be rejoined by three former East Los Angeles College teammates this fall at Clayton State with the additions of juniors Manuel Aguilar (Los Angeles), Jose Garduno (Los Angeles) and Cristian Torres (Huntington Park, Calif.).  All three, including Campos, were members of East Los Angeles’ team that won the California Community College state title in 2002. 

Garduno brings the best credentials of the three, with a four-mile best of 20:26 and ran 15:34 for 5K and 32:05 for 10K on the track this past spring.  Aguilar has run 33:07 for 10K and 10:04 in the steeplechase on the track while Torres ran 21:31 for four miles at last season’s California cross country championships. 

“This is a great bunch of hard working guys,” said Mead.  “They’re going to love the courses we’ll be racing on this fall, as compared to the tougher courses out West.” 

Also new to the program and who will be expected to make an immediate impact is freshman Peter Gajda (Mermaid Mist, Australia).  Though currently slowed by an ankle injury, Gajda is expected to be 100 percent by the time the PBC and region championships roll around in late October and early November.  Gajda has personal bests of 15:28 for 5K and 32:05 for 10K.  The final newcomer to the squad is former Lovejoy High School runner Jacob Elison (Jonesboro).  Elison, a CCSU student for the past two years, is a walk-on who will fill the No. 7 spot on the squad. 

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