MEN’S RECAP
WHEELING, W.Va. – Davis & Elkins had seven of the top 12 finishers at Saturday’s Mountain East Conference Cross Country Championships as the Senators captured the team title. The team victory ended the University of Charleston’s six-year run as the MEC men’s team champion.
Junior Jan Thewes led the way for Davis & Elkins, edging UC’s Samuel Idiens by .3 seconds to win the individual men’s title. For his efforts, Thewes was named the MEC Men’s Runner of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches. Thewes and teammates Carter McKenna (third), Charlie Stephenson (fifth), Christopher Lucas (seventh), Jackson Gibson (eighth) and Jordan Thomas (10th) all earned a place on the 10-member MEC all-conference first team.
The top seven finishers from each program contribute to the overall team score. Davis & Elkins finished with 24 points, followed by defending champion UC (45), Concord (102), West Virginia Wesleyan (120) and West Liberty (168).
“It was very special for us since we had never won it as a team,” Thewes said. “That was our main goal coming into this race, just win it for the first time as a team and have a good team performance.”
Davis & Elkins entered Saturday’s event, an 8,000-meter race held on the Crispin Course at Oglebay Park, as the top-ranked team in the Atlantic Region. The team’s head coach, Jason Pyles, was named the MEC Coach of the Year.
Glenville State’s Patrick Reilly, who finished 13th out of 95 runners, was named the MEC Freshman of the Year.
First Team All-MEC
Jan Thewes, Davis & Elkins
Samuel Idiens, Charleston
Carter McKenna, Davis & Elkins
Zane Chalker, Charleston
Charlie Stephenson, Davis & Elkins
Corey Schobelock, Charleston
Christopher Lucas, Davis & Elkins
Jackson Gibson, Davis & Elkins
Luke McKenna, Point Park
Jordan Thomas, Davis & Elkins
Second Team All-MEC
Anthony Sanders, W.Va. Wesleyan
Konnor Allison, Davis & Elkins
Patrick Reilly, Glenville State
Logan Zuchelli, Concord
Jules Geffroy-Remot, Charleston
Braden Ward, Concord
Robert Allen, West Liberty
Cole Friend, Charleston
Evan Pyles, W.Va. Wesleyan
Ethan Board, Concord
Coach of the Year: Jason Pyles, Davis & Elkins
WOMEN’S RECAP
WHEELING, W.Va. – Davis & Elkins junior Lauren Twyman cleared the field by 14 seconds to capture the individual women’s crown at the Mountain East Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Oglebay Park. Twyman and her teammates helped Davis & Elkins also claim the team title, ending the University of Charleston’s four-year reign as the team champions.
Point Park’s Cassondra O’Connor finished in second place and swept the individual season awards: MEC Runner of the Year and MEC Freshman of the Year. The season awards are decided by nominations and votes by the league’s head coaches.
Davis & Elkins head coach Jason Pyles was named the MEC Coach of the Year for both men and women.
“I just went out there and ran and I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve never won a collegiate race before,” Twyman said. “I’ve also never beaten my teammate, Lydia, before. It’s surreal.”
Twyman led the 10-person MEC all-conference first team, followed by teammates Lydia Falkenstein (fifth) and Savanna Hartman (ninth). Davis & Elkins scored 41 points as a team, beating four-time defending champion UC (82 points). Point Park finished third with 94 points, ahead of West Virginia Wesleyan (fourth, 100) and Glenville State (fifth, 147).
First Team All-MEC
Lauren Twyman, Davis & Elkins
Cassondra O’Connor, Point Park
Leigha Hall, West Virginia Wesleyan
Carlina Jacquez, Fairmont State
Lydia Falkenstein, Davis & Elkins
Natalie Barr, Glenville State
Beth Sykes, Charleston
Madison Woolwine, Charleston
Savanna Hartman, Davis & Elkins
Sydney Hambel, Wheeling
Second Team All-MEC
Zoe Belshan, Davis & Elkins
Allison Plassio, Point Park
Lindsey Dillon, West Virginia Wesleyan
Mercy Jepleting, Charleston
Ella Hesson, Davis & Elkins
Lacey Dimit, West Liberty
Jana Schmid, Point Park
Megan Mitchell, Fairmont State
Rebecca Tellez, Davis & Elkins
Madison Cornett, Concord
Coach of the Year: Jason Pyles, Davis & Elkins
