Men's Cross Country | 11/22/2014 12:53:00 PM

Montevallo, Ala.----The Wingate University men's cross country team finished 13th out of 23 teams in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region championship meet Saturday at the University of Montevallo Cross Country Course. The Bulldogs recorded 368 points, only 18 points behind number 12 Lincoln Memorial (men's results, women's results).
 
Bulldog sophomore Alex Craig (Lenoir, N.C.) led the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold contingent, finishing 43rd with a 10K time of 34:33.53. Redshirt freshman Anthony Gaudin (Orleans, France) was next on Wingate charts, placing 57th with a 10K time of 34:58.90.
 
"Alex Craig really stepped up and had the race of his season," Wingate head men's cross country coach Joe Soehnlen says. "Our top four (runners) really ran pretty strong and for the most part all moved up well during the race."
 
Wingate junior Michael Hering (Englewood, Fla.) and sophomore Nepolian Patel (Rocky Mount, N.C.) were 77th (35:28.45) and 78th (35:32.24), respectively. Wingate freshman Alex Tidwell (Monroe, N.C.) was the Bulldogs' fifth scorer with his 37:42.59 10K time.
 
North Greenville junior Ahmad Nesbitt (Spartanburg, S.C.) won the individual title with a 10K time of 31:23.11. Clayton State junior Job Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) was second with a 10K time of 31:33.84. Both Nesbitt and Kemboi will advance to the national championship meet, along with Flagler senior Corey Mundy (Green Cove Springs, Fla.). Mundy finished fifth with a 10K time of 31:39.56.
 
South Atlantic Conference champion Mars Hill won the team title with 76 points. The top finisher for the Lions was junior Alex Griggs (Statesville, N.C.), who claimed fifth place with his 32:19.75 10K time. Mount Olive was second with 94 points. The Trojans' top performer was junior Akiharu Kitagawa (Wilsonville, Ore.), who finished third with his 31:35.99 10K clocking. Queens was third on the team leader board with 120 points; the Royals earn the third and final team invitation to the national championship meet.