Steve Hammond Post Race Interview

Greeneville, Tenn.----Wingate University junior Steve Hammond (Warsaw, Ohio) won the individual title at the 2012 Food Lion SAC Tournament Saturday morning. Hammond helped lead the Bulldogs to a second place finish at the race. Mars Hill College won the team title for the 16th consecutive year. Wingate finished five points ahead of third place Lenoir-Rhyne.

Hammond finished with a time of 26:26 in the 8K race, winning by 12 seconds to earn first team All-SAC honors along with the SAC Runner of the Year Award. The Lions had the second, third and fifth-place finishers Saturday morning. Junior Binyam Belachew (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) finished 14th with a time of 27:58, earning second team All-SAC honors.

“Steve came out with a vengeance to go for the win today after a subpar performance last year,” head coach Joe Soehnlen says. “He took the lead before the two-mile mark and never looked back. I’m proud of him for his poise and his ability to tackle such a tough course.”

Junior James Lawson (Wake Forest, N.C.) registered a time of 28:07, good for a 19th place finish. Sophomore Jordan Phillips (Cornelius, N.C.) was 30th with a time of 28:31. Freshman Chris Gibson (Kernersville, N.C.) and senior Andrew Smith (Oakboro, N.C.) finished 37th and 38th, notching times of 29:01 and 29:02, respectively.

“We were able to finish second as a team, and a lot of that has to do with the performances of freshman Chris Gibson and senior Andrew Smith,” Soehnlen says. “They really rose to the occasion and had their best races of the season when we needed it most.

The Bulldogs return to action Nov. 3 at the NCAA Division II Southeast Region meet at McAlpine Park in Charlotte.

All-SAC First Team
Steve Hammond, Wingate
Alex Griggs, Mars Hill
Cesar Reyes, Mars Hill
David Cooper, Tusculum
Eric Blackburn, Mars Hill
Bradley Maldonado, Lincoln Memorial
Brady Adcock, Mars Hill

All-SAC Second Team
Aaron Nelson, Lenoir-Rhyne
Parks Edwards, Anderson
Carter Benge, Mars Hill
Christian Crifasi, Catawba
Patrick Helmick, Brevard
Kiel Bollero, Mars Hill
Binyam Belachew, Wingate

SAC All-Freshman Team
Alex Griggs, Mars Hill
Cesar Reyes, Mars Hill
Patrick Helmick, Brevard
Ryan Mecca, Lincoln Memorial
Chase Shermer, Mars Hill

SAC Runner of the Year: Steve Hammond, Wingate
SAC Freshman of the Year: Alex Griggs, Mars Hill
SAC Scholar Athlete for Men's Cross Country: Christian Crifasi, Catawba
SAC Coach of the Year: Mike Owens, Mars Hill