Laker men finish disappointing 16th at NCAA Division II South Regional men’s cross country championships
Chino is the highest Clayton State finisher, placing 44th overall

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - November 3, 2007 – What was to be a promising NCAA Division II South Regional men’s cross country meet turned out to be disappointing for the Clayton State Lakers on Saturday.

One of a few prime contenders coming into the meet, Clayton State struggled to finish 16th in the 19-team field with 408 points in the 10K event. It was the lowest finish ever for a Laker men’s squad at a regional.

"An extremely disappointing finish to a promising season," said Clayton State head coach Mike Mead. "We did not run to our ability, and the meet leaves me with an empty feeling. We end the season with no one from Clayton State (men or women) going to the NCAA National Meet for the first time since 2003."

It was doom for the Lakers after the first mile when Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year Walid Berkhedle had his calf muscles tighten up on him. One of the huge favorites in the race, Berkhedle finished 132nd with a time of 52:59 minutes.

The highest finisher for the Lakers was from Joey Chino, who placed 44th overall with a time of 34:32.5. Anthony Aguilar finished 65th in 35:09.1, while Au Nguyen finished 90th in 36:07.2. Rounding the Clayton State finishers included Jarrid Casimir finishing 104th in 36:45.9 and Jeremy Adkins placed 129th in 43:26.

In the women’s race, Clayton State freshman Chelsea Ellis finished 65th overall in a 155-runner field with a time of 24:45.5 in the 6K event.