Wingate University junior Keeley Wood (Sanford, N.C.) won the 2012 Food Lion SAC championship meet Saturday morning, leading the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the team race. Wingate finished only five points behind team champion Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bulldogs finished seven points ahead of third-place Anderson.
“Obviously it’s impressive for Keeley to win the individual title, especially after having the pressure on her as the top returner from last year,” Wingate head coach Joe Soehnlen says. “As a team, it can be a heart-breaking to come so close to our goal and fall short, but that’s why we run the race. I couldn’t be more proud of our efforts.”
Wood finished the 5K race with a time of 19:27, cruising to a 30-second victory to earn first team All-SAC honors, while also being named the SAC Runner of the Year. Wood is a three-time first team All-SAC performer. She finished third in the 2011 meet and sixth in the 2010 event.