Men's Cross Country | 11/7/2015 3:51:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's cross country team finished 12th (out of 22 teams) in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship meet at the WU Cross Country Facility Saturday. The Bulldogs move up one spot on the team ladder from their 2014 NCAA regional finish (individual results; team results).
 
"I am very proud of the way this team finished its season," Wingate head cross country coach Ashley Vaughn Glover says. "Every guy who raced today…made huge strides from the beginning of the season to the end of the season."
 
Wingate junior Nepolian Patel (Rocky Mount, N.C.) led the Bulldog charge, posting a 10K time of 33:42.5 to take 11th place. In the 2014 NCAA meet, Patel finished 78th with a 10K time of 35:32.24.  
 
"It was sad to see Nepolian miss qualifying for nationals by nine seconds," Glover says. "We will celebrate the huge steps Nepolian made this season."
 
Wingate junior Jacob Troutman (Aberdeen, N.C.) was 46th with a 10K time of 35:39.1. Classmate Dustin Hickernell (Fleetwood, N.C.) was next on the WU charts with his 10K time of 37:09.8.
 
Freshmen Dalton Cox (Sanford, N.C.) and Stephen Wofford (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) completed Wingate's point scorers. Cox ran a 38:34.9 10K, while Wofford posted a 10K time of 39:16.6.
 
The University of Mount Olive won the team title with 52 points. The South Atlantic Conference will send two teams to nationals, as Mars Hill (89 points) and Queens (104 points) occupied the second and third spots on the team leader board.
 
Mars Hill senior Alex Griggs (Statesville, N.C.) caps an illustrious career with his individual championship. Griggs ran his 10K race in 32:33.4. In September, Griggs won Wingate's Bulldog Stampede 8K race with a time of 25:42.70.