Fentress, N.C.----The Wingate University men's cross country team won the NCAA Division II section of the Hagan Stone Cross Country Classic Saturday at Hagan Stone Park. The Bulldogs finished third overall in a 15-team field. All total, 141 runners finished this year's men's 8K race (complete results).
 
Virginia Commonwealth won the overall competition with 44 points. The N.C. State club team was second with 79 points, followed by Wingate with 93 markers. The Bulldogs outran NCAA Division II teams from Virginia-Wise, Barton and Catawba. Wingate also outdistanced  Roanoke, Louisburg, St. Andrews, West Virginia Tech, Randolph, Guilford and Averett.
 
"Everybody stepped up big today," Wingate assistant cross country coach Dr. Dennis Johnson says. "This is not an easy course. We had five student-athletes run personal bests. I thought sophomore Alex Craig (Lenoir, N.C.) ran an exceptional race."
 
Craig was part of a Wingate sandwich, as he finished between sophomore Nepolian Patel (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and redshirt freshman Anthony Gaudin (Orleans, France). Patel was 11th with an 8K time of 26:47.90. He was followed closely by Craig (12th, 26:50.60) and Gaudin (13th, 26:54.90). Only Virginia-Wise sophomore Shaquon Wilkins (Fredericksburg, Va.) ran a faster race among NCAADII runners at Hagan Stone Saturday (26:42.60).
 
"A couple things went well today," Craig says. "I was really in the flow. I had a great week of training this past week; I could tell it really paid (dividends) today."
 
"Lastly, I have to give all the glory to God," Craig says. "In this race, I relied heavily on my teammates. I'm very proud of finishing three places in a row with two of them. I couldn't do it without God and my teammates as well."
 
Wingate junior Mike Hering (Englewood, Fla.) claimed 26th place with an 8K time of 27:34.20. Senior Jordan Phillips (Cornelius, N.C.) rounded out the Bulldogs' top five with his 43rd-place performance (28:14.10).
 
In addition to Craig and Gaudin, sophomore Austin Greeson (Burlington, N.C.) and freshmen Alex Tidwell (Monroe, N.C.) and Juan Torre (Hope Mills, N.C.) ran personal bests Saturday. Greeson posted an 8K time of 28:44.40, with Tidwell and Torre clocking 28:49.90 and 31:16.20, respectively.
 
Wingate will venture to the Central Time Zone in two weeks, as the Bulldogs will race in the Montevallo (Ala.) Falcon Classic on Saturday, Oct. 18. The University of Montevallo is the site of the 2014 and 2016 NCAA Division II Southeast Region men's and women's cross country meets. Wingate will host the NCAA XC regional races in 2015 and 2017 at the WU Cross Country Facility.