SPARTANBURG — Newberry began its 2018 season at the Eye Opener Invitational hosted by USC Upstate, finishing third among the four NCAA Division II teams in attendance.

The Wolves were paced by freshman Kenia Smith, who finished 12th among Division II competitors in 22:27.6. Senior Michelle Ling placed four positions behind with a time of 23:07.5, with sophomore Diana Gutierrez finishing in 23rd. Katy Crout was 28th and Anne Bouekamp was 31st to round out the scorers for the Wolves.

Lenoir-Rhyne took home the team title with a near-perfect score of 17, placing runners in each of the top three positions as well as fifth and sixth. Limestone finished second with 48 points, with Newberry (87) and Converse (102) rounding out the team standings. Lander and Limestone also had runners competing as individuals.

Kylie Dahlberg and Faith Faller of Lenoir-Rhyne, both sophomores, finished less than three seconds apart atop the Division II individual standings. Dahlberg was 17th overall on the 5K course with a time of 20:04.7.

Furman mirrored Lenoir-Rhyne’s results with a team score of 17 to take the Division I title, while Western Carolina finished with 48 points and had runners in the exact same positions as Limestone. Paladins’ junior Gabrielle Jennings finished first with a time of 17:53.3, nearly 20 seconds ahead of her next closest competitor.

The Wolves return to action on Sept. 15 at the Winthrop/Adidas Invitational in Rock Hill.

The Wolves finished third at the Eye Opener Invitational where they were paced by freshman Kenia Smith, who finished 12th among Division II competitors in 22:27.6.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_CrossCountry2018NC.jpgThe Wolves finished third at the Eye Opener Invitational where they were paced by freshman Kenia Smith, who finished 12th among Division II competitors in 22:27.6. Courtesy photo

Staff Report