Oct. 28, 2006
ATLANTA – Nisha Kurian placed 20th to help the Georgia Tech women’s cross country team place ninth at the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. The men were led by David Herren, who crossed the line 23rd on Panorama Farms course.
Kurian finished the 6K women’s race in 22:05.60. Teammates Elena Linn (22:21.40) and Mary Chind (22:27.30) finished second and third respectively for the Jackets to place 27th and 29th overall. Freshman Carola Conces crossed the line fourth for Tech with a time of 23:18.50 and a 56th overall finish.
The women’s team faced some extremely tough competition at the Championships. N.C. State, currently ranked No. 2 in the country by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association placed first. The Wolfpack scored 59 points with the closest competitor, the Duke Blue Devils scoring 88 points. The field included six teams ranked in the top-30 nationally by the USTFCCCA.
“The women competed well today,” said Tech coach Alan Drosky. “With three women in the top thirty, we found out that we’re close to a national level, but not quite there yet. Nisha Kurian, Elena Linn, and Mary Chind continued their strong running this season and competed well with some of the best collegiate women in the nation. Carola Conces had an outstanding race in her first ACC Championship.”
The men’s squad improved on its 2005 finish by placing eleventh this season on the 8K course. Junior Nazar Trilisky placed second for Tech with a 60th overall finish in 26:24.60. Senior Paul Specht came in third for the Jackets with an 80th-place finish. He was followed by sophomore E.C. Gibbs, who placed 81st overall.
In the 12-team field, the Jackets were up against three teams ranked in the top-30 nationally by the USTFCCCA, including eighth-ranked FSU and ninth-ranked N.C. State. The Wolfpack men helped N.C. State to the sweep by scoring 31 points to dominate the field, defeating the Seminoles by 48 points.
“The men were able to move a spot from last year but know that there is still a lot work to do,” said Drosky. “They have made improvements throughout the season and will look for a better showing at the NCAA South Regional. David Herren had another outstanding race as he continues to lead our team. The improvements he has made this cross country season are a great example for the rest of the team.”
The Jackets will return home to prepare for the NCAA South Region Championship on November 11, in Knoxville, Tenn. hosted by the University of Tennessee.
