11/3/02
The Rhodes men's cross country team claimed 2nd at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship, hosted by the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Senior captain Brian McCarthy led Rhodes with his 4th place individual finish. DePauw University took 6 out of the top 7 spots to easily outdistance the rest of the conference. Their team score of 17 points placed them ahead of Rhodes' 66 points. Centre College edged Trinity University for 3rd place, while the University of the South placed 5th out of 9 complete teams. DePauw sophomore Graham Wellman surged over the final 2 miles of the race to capture the individual SCAC title in a conference meet record time of 25:53.
Although he fell short of his individual goal of winning the SCAC championship, Brian McCarthy capped an incredible conference cross country career with his 4th place finish. The performance not only made McCarthy a four-time All-SCAC runner, but it also marked his fourth top-five finish in the meet, the first time this feat has been accomplished in school history. In addition, his time of 26:11 was the fastest Rhodes performance in SCAC championship competition, ahead of Mike Wottle's 26:19 from 1998. Two other Lynx runners earned All-SCAC honors with their top-fourteen finishes. Freshman Colin Strickland placed 10th in 27:14, while sophomore Matt Wood placed 14th in 27:41. Wood also took All-SCAC honors last season. Sophomore Todd Ridley finished closely behind Wood, earning 17th place with a seasonal best time of 27:46. Senior Bill Harrison was Rhodes' final scorer, taking 22nd place in a personal best time of 28:09. Matthew Sauter and Morgan Tribuno rounded out the Lynx top seven by placing 32nd and 38th, respectively. John Harrison and Ryan Call were the final Rhodes representatives at the meet, placing 40th and 44th out of 75 competitors.
Head coach Robert Shankman commended the effort of the Lynx runners, expressing that, "Our men ran with a lot of heart today by going out hard with the top DePauw guys. We did a good job of putting ourselves in position early to be competitive for the title, but we felt flat today. Our aggressive strategy cost us in the end. Our times did not reflect the fitness level of our team. Nevertheless, DePauw was very tough today…. Brian finished his conference cross country career with another strong race today. His attitude, work ethic, and dedication to the team have made him a pleasure to work with for 4 years. McCarthy has set the standard for excellence in Rhodes men's cross country."
Full Results
