OAKWOOD, Ga. – All five runners for the UNC Pembroke men's cross country finished inside the top-15 to claim all-conference recognition and lead the Braves to their first Peach Belt Conference Championship on Saturday morning in Oakwood, Ga. The women's team tallied a third place finish with 103 points in the 6K.
PBC Coach of the Year Peter Ormsby commanded his team to top honors for the first time in the 25-year history of the league after the squad was picked to win the championship in the preseason coaches' poll. UNCP totaled 49 team points to finish 15 points ahead of Augusta in second and 28 points ahead of PBC rival Columbus State in third. The five scorers for the Braves were separated by a mere 55 seconds which contributed to the win.
Senior Tim Sigmon and junior Wilson Pearson paced each other and the Braves throughout the race as Sigmon tallied a fifth place finish (26:07.3) and Pearson crossed the finish line in sixth (26:23.0). Senior Joel Johnston logged a top-10 finish as he was ninth overall with a season-best time of 26:38.6, while Nate Nash (27:00.4) and Nebiyou Aynu (27:02.3) rounded out the scoring finishers for the Black and Gold in 14th and 15th, respectively.
Freshman Broderick Bauguess (27:11.7) earned PBC Freshman of the Year honors with his 19th place finish and joins fellow teammate Pearson (2013) as one of five freshman of the year from UNCP in the past 25 years. Newcomer Blaine Thomas was the only Brave to be named to the PBC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Logan Ward (31st, 27:41.6), A.J. Sayers-O'Neill (45th, 28:09.2), Kellen Corson (64th, 28:59.5), Thomas (65th, 28:59.7), Jonathan Martin (75th, 29:44.8) and Nathan Pollard (83rd, 30:53.2) also competed in the race for the Braves.
On the women's side, Lea Tardanico led the Braves with a 15th place finish to log all-conference honors and etch her time among the top-25 fastest 6K times in school history as she recorded a season-best mark of 23:39.0. The junior shaved 39 seconds off her previous season-best at the North Georgia Invitational in mid-September. Both Olivia Lowman and Kristin Cain finished inside the top-20 with Lowman crossing in 18th with a season-best time of 23:49.7 and Cain trailing in 19th with a personal-best time of 23:56.2.
Seniors Savannah Fornshell (22nd, 24:10.1) and Kyndal Boykin (29th, 24:20.9) were the fourth and fifth finishers for the Black and Gold, respectively, while Emily Vance (69th, 27:58.6) also competed for UNCP in the race.
The women's top five finishers were separated by just 41 seconds in the race to finish third after being picked to finish sixth by the league's head coaches in the preseason poll. Cain was the lone female for the Braves to be named to the PBC All-Sportsmanship Team.
UNCP will now prepare for the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championships at Wingate University's Cross Country Facility on November 7. The women's 6K race will be run at 10:30 a.m. and the men's 10K will follow at 11:45 a.m.
UNCP Women's Results
- Lea Tardanico (15th, 23:39.0)
- Olivia Lowman (18th, 23:49.7)
- Kristin Cain (19th, 23:56.2)
- Savannah Fornshell (22nd, 24:10.1)
- Kyndal Boykin (29th, 24:20.9)
- Emily Vance (69th, 27:58.6)
Women Team Finishes
1. Montevallo (26 points)
2. North Georgia (93 points)
3. UNC Pembroke (103 points)
4. Columbus State (128 points)
5. Young Harris (141 points)
6. Augusta (144 points)
7. Flagler (157 points)
8. Georgia College (192 points)
9. Clayton State (211 points)
10. Georgia Southwestern (253 points)
11. USC Aiken (348 points)
12. Francis Marion (371 points)
UNCP Men's Results
- Tim Sigmon (5th, 26:07.3)
- Wilson Pearson (6th, 26:23.0)
- Joel Johnston (9th, 26:38.6)
- Nate Nash (14th, 27:00.4)
- Nebiyou Aynu (15th, 27:02.3)
- Broderick Bauguess (19th, 27:11.7)
- Logan Ward (31st, 27:41.6)
- A.J. Sayers-O'Neill (45th, 28:09.2)
- Kellen Corson (64th, 28:59.5)
- Blaine Thomas (65th, 28:59.7)
- Jonathan Martin (75th, 29:44.8)
- Nathan Pollard (83rd, 30:53.2)
Men Team Finishes
1. UNC Pembroke (49 points)
2. Augusta (64 points)
3. Columbus State (77 points)
4. Georgia College (130 points)
5. Flagler (146 points)
6. Young Harris (154 points)
7. Armstrong State (166 points)
8. Clayton State (211 points)
9. Montevallo (225 points)
10. Francis Marion (232 points)
2015 Peach Belt Conference
Women's Cross Country Award Winners
Elite 15 Award presented by GradesFirst
Kayla Parsons, Columbus State
All-Conference Team
Nancy Murgor, Young Harris
Katie Nelson, Montevallo
Hannah Evans, Montevallo
Sierra Millsaps, Montevallo
Maia Kuhnen, Clayton State
Rayna Green, Columbus State
Brittany Truitt, North Georgia
Katherine Terino, Montevallo
Cheyenne Thompson, Montevallo
Anna Leinheiser, Montevallo
Olivia Rodriguez, Augusta
Lauren Rodriguez, Flagler
Jenna Tilton, North Georgia
Nicole Smith, Young Harris
Lea Tardanico, UNC Pembroke
PBC Runner of the Year
(voted on prior to championship)
Katie Nelson, Montevallo
PBC Coach of the Year
(voted on after to championship)
Tommy Barksdale, Montevallo
PBC Freshman of the Year
Nancy Murgor, Young Harris
PBC All-Sportsmanship Team
Diana Petrmichlova, Augusta
Taylor Galvin, Clayton State
Kayla Parsons, Columbus State
Shelby Garbett, Flagler
Gabrielle Gosnell, Francis Marion
Brittney Schwind, Georgia College
Ashleigh Owens, Georgia Southwestern
Anna Leinheiser, Montevallo
Kristin Cain, UNC Pembroke
Emily Sims, North Georgia
Samantha Lisek, USC Aiken
Nicole Smith, Young Harris
2015 Peach Belt Conference
Men's Cross Country Award Winners
Elite 15 Award presented by GradesFirst
Jacob Dirkman, Columbus State
All-Conference Team
Matthew Biwott, Young Harris
Nick Del Guercio, Augusta
Dylan Forester, Augusta
Ryan McFall, Columbus State
Tim Sigmon, UNC Pembroke
Wilson Pearson, UNC Pembroke
Andrew Smith, Flagler
Cordaryl Whitehead, Columbus State
Joel Johnston, UNC Pembroke
Donald Shelton, Armstrong
Caleb Watson, Augusta
Henning Schein, Armstrong
Dillon Hodge, Flagler
Nate Nash, UNC Pembroke
Nebiyou Aynu, UNC Pembroke
PBC Runner of the Year
(voted on prior to championship)
Nick Del Guercio, Augusta
PBC Coach of the Year
(voted on after to championship)
Peter Ormsby, UNC Pembroke
PBC Freshman of the Year
Broderick Bauguess, UNC Pembroke
PBC All-Sportsmanship Team
Corey Crunk, Armstrong
Boyd Gutteny, Augusta
Troy Hickom, Clayton State
Cordaryl Whitehead, Columbus State
Andrew Smith, Flagler
Brandon Boggs, Francis Marion
Matt Sutton, Georgia College
Jordan Poche, Montevallo
Blaine Thomas, UNC Pembroke
Edwin Mejia, Young Harris
