2015 Men's Cross Country Media Guide

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www.appstatesports.com 2015 Appalachian State MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2015 APPALACHIAN STATE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

COACHES

John Weaver Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Weaver is in his 34th season as the Head Coach and Director of the women’s track and cross country program and in his 20th season as the Director for both the women’s and men’s programs. Weaver assumed the duties of directing both programs in the Fall of 1995. A 1971 graduate of Appalachian in biology, Weaver returned to Appalachian in 1979 to assist the men’s program while earning his masters in biology. During his three-year tenure as the men’s assistant, he trained two NCAA qualifiers and seven Southern Conference champions. Weaver took over the full-time coaching duties for the women’s program in 1982. Since that time, the program, including cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, has produced an NCAA Division I National Champion in the 1500m twice, nine NCAA Division I all-Americans with 23 all-American performances, 18 NCAA Division I qualifiers, 257 Southern Conference individual champion performances, 776 all-conference performances, 27 conference MVP athletes, 40 conference team championships, 24 conference coachof-the-year honors, 13 conference freshman of the year honors and two Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors. Since 2003, when the NCAA began competition on a Regional level, the Mountaineers have sent 49 athletes to the regional meet. After taking over the men’s program in 1995, the Mountaineers have produced two NCAA Division I all-Americans, four NCAA AllAmerican performances, 11 Division I Qualifiers, 203 Southern Conference individual champion performances, 511 all-conference performers, 10 conference MVP’s, 25 conference team championships, 11 coach-of-the-year honors, three conference freshman of the year and two Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors. App State has also sent 42 athletes to Regional competition. Appalachian has qualified 42 men and 51 women athletes to

the East Region with eight NCAA Championship qualifying performances coming out of the region for Appalachian. In 2004, Appalachian had its first East Region champion with a first place finish in the men’s 100 meter dash. Coach Weaver has also worked as the Yosef Club Director (athletic fundraising arm of the Appalachian Foundation Inc.) from 1982-1985. He also taught classes in the Education and Physical Education departments of the university. A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Weaver graduated from Seventy-First High School in 1967. He earned his bachelor of science degree in 1971 from Appalachian, returning to Fayetteville to teach biology and eventually take over the cross country and track programs at Douglas Byrd High School in 1972. His cross country dual meet record over eight years was an impressive 71-11 and his teams won six conference titles while competing in four state championships. His track team also produced many individual conference and regional champions, along with several state meet qualifiers. Currently, Coach Weaver coaches the sprinters, hurdlers, multievent athletes and relays, while over-seeing all aspects of the program. He is also serving an appointment to the NCAA Division I Track and Cross Country Committee effective September of 2006 and active until September of 2010. Each summer, Weaver also directs the Grandfather Mountain Marathon, The Bear Road Race and two Cross Country team camps. Over 1,000 athletes attend camp at App State each summer. On April 10, 2014, Weaver was awarded with the W.H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion. It’s awarded to “recognize the time, energy, skill and commitment of students, faculty, studen development, educators and staff who exceed their peers in proving leadership that enriches the quality of a student life and advances the education of students.” Weaver was one of six community members to receive the honor and was recognized as part of the Fall Convocation in September 2014.

Michael Curcio Head Coach Mike Curcio is in his 21st year as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach and track and field distance coach at Appalachian State University. In 2014, Appalachian State’s first year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, Curcio led both the men’s and women’s cross country teams to a second-place finish at the Sun Belt meet in Mobile, Alabama. In that event, the men finished just two points behind South Alabama and the women were nine points away from first-place Texas-Arlington. The men secured four all-conference selections while the women earned three of their own. For the men’s team in 2013, Curcio led them to a second-place finish at the SoCon championship meet. Kyle McFoy placed sixth and also was named to the SoCon first-team. Josh Cox, James Howard-Smith and Will Raby all took secondteam honors. The women’s team finished fourth in the Southern Conference last season. Justine Stocks earned all-SoCon for the women’s team. During the track and field season, the men earned four all-SoCon honors with four performances moving into the top ten all-time lists. The women also earned four all-SoCon honors and had eight performances that moved into the top ten all-time lists. Stocks broke the program record in the 3,000m steeplechase with a mark of 10:37. The 2013-14 track campaign also saw four athletes reach the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field championships. Chris Moen and Josh Cox qualified in the 3,000m steeplechase. Alex Taylor made his third trip in the 1,500m run and Amanda Hamilton made her first trip in the 10,000m on the strength of her program record performance of 34:52. The 2012 campaign was a banner year for the Mountaineers’ middle-distance/distance runners on the track as Curcio helped coach three athletes who broke five school records. Will Raby set the school record for the 5,000-meter event in indoor track, while Alex Taylor and Chris Moen teamed up with two sprinters to set the school record in the distance medley relay for indoor track at the SoCon Championships. Taylor set the App State record in the 800 and 1500-meter events while teaming up with Moen and two of Appalachian’s sprinters to break a 28-year old Appalachian record in the distance medley relay at the 2012 Penn Relays. Curcio coached four men to the first round of the NCAA Championships in 2012 in outdoor track, as Taylor qualified for both the 800 and 1,500-meter events and Moen, Sean Soderman and Josh Cox all qualified for the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Curcio’s cross country teams have been very successful under his tenure, as

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they have captured two women’s Southern Conference titles and 11 men’s SoCon championships, including six-straight men’s titles from 2005-10. During his time at App State, Curcio has coached nine NCAA Qualifiers, 16 NCAA Regional Qualifiers, 19 USATF Junior National Qualifiers and seven Southern Conference Cross Country Freshman of the Year. In addition to those feats, Curcio has also coached 93 all-Southern Conference Cross Country performers and four Southern Conference Cross Country individual champions. While coaching the distance runners for Appalachian track and field, Curcio has coached 59 athletes to SoCon indoor and outdoor individual champion performances and 208 runners to all-conference indoor and outdoor performances. He has also coached two athletes to SoCon indoor track and field MVP awards and two outdoor track and field MVP awards. As athletic excellence is important, Curcio and his teams also strive for success in academics. Since being at Appalachian, Curcio has coached two NCAA post graduate scholarship award winners, one Southern Conference post graduate scholarship award winner, three Mrs. Brakefield award recipients, for an Appalachian senior student-athlete with the highest GPA, and 12 USTFCCCA academic all-Americans. During the 2011-12 season, both the App State men’s and women’s recorded multi-year APR scores well above the national average while the men were recognized with an NCAA Public Recognition Award for compiling a four-year APR of 1,000 and ranking among the top 10 percent of all teams in the nation. For all of his efforts, in 2003 Curcio was named the USTCA Division I Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year for Distance. He also has been recognized by the Southern Conference for his team’s impressive performances, being named the SoCon’s men’s cross country coach of the year nine times. Before coming to Appalachian, Curcio served as an assistant at Florida State from 1988-1992. In the spring of 1993, he became an assistant at South Florida, where he helped build a fledgling track and field program, along with a nationally-ranked cross country program. The track women at USF won three conference titles in the first four years of the program’s existence. The men’s and women’s cross country teams were ranked as high as 12th and 21st in Division I during his tenure. Curcio hails from Long Island, N.Y. where he attended Newfield High School before attending and competing for Appalachian State University. He was a threetime all-SoCon selection in track and still ranks seventh all-time in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 3:49.60.

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2015 APPALACHIAN STATE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Esther Erb-Atkins Administrative Assistant Esther Erb (soon to be Esther Atkins) joins the Mountaineers after a highly successful two years as an assistant coach at Rider University. There, she saw both the men’s and women’s cross country teams place the highest in school history at the NCAA Division I Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. In her second year, Rider qualified more athletes and achieved more All-East performances at the ECAC/IC4A Championships than ever before in school history. One of the athletes she worked most closely with, Emily Ritter (3000m steeplechase), went on to be the first female Rider athlete ever to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. From there she went on to be the first to qualify for the USATF Outdoor Championships. As an athlete, Erb has found her event in the marathon. 2014 saw her set a personal-best time of 2:33:15 at the Boston Marathon in April. Later that year, she won the U.S. Marathon Championships and the Twin Cities Marathon. As a result of her championship title, she will compete for team USA at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

As a collegiate athlete, Erb competed in all 12 seasons as a Division III athlete at Case Western Reserve University where she studied Music and Cognitive Science. In 2005, she became the first woman in school history to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Her proudest accomplishment came a year later when she led the 2006 cross country team to UAA Conference and NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional team titles as well as a 10thplace finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Individually, she was a nine-time national qualifier, six-time all-american, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, and capped off her collegiate career with an individual championship title in the 10,000m at the 2008 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships.

2015 Appalachian State MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

COACHES

Dylan Scates Administrative Assistant

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“The hardest race east of the Rockies.” His personal-record times are as follows: 1600m 4:45, 3200m - 9:55 and 5000m - 16:20 He is currently pursuing a master of science degree in biomechanics here in Boone.

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Scates comes to Appalachian State from the University of North Georgia (Dahlonega, Ga.) where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in exercise science in 2014 and was an assistant coach on the Nighthawks’ cross country team for one season. With him on the staff, North Georgia qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championship for the first time in school history and took 31st as a team. Scates was a member of the University of West Georgia’s (Carrollton, Ga.) cross country team in 2007 and before that, he was a cross country state qualifier at Gilmer High School (Ellijay, Ga.) in both 2005 and 2006. In November of 2013, Scates competed in the Sky to Summit 50K with a time of six hours and 30 minutes. In that event, there are two summits of Rabun Bald with 14,000 feet of elevation change throughout the entire race. It also represents the second-highest peak in Georgia at over 4,700 feet. In March of 2015, he participated in the Georgia Death Race and was clocked with a time of 18 hours and 19 minutes over the course of 68 miles with 40,000 feet of elevation change. Scates placed 85th out of 300 with only 172 actually making it to the finish line. That event has been called 3

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www.appstatesports.com 2015 Appalachian State MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2015 APPALACHIAN STATE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Name

Chris Anderson Michael Ellis Evan Georges Will Henderson Chris Kelly Evan Laratta Collin Loy Kyle McFoy Ian Milder Ryan Shannon Tyler Sink Andrew Vandenberg Matt Wallace Cade Zimmerman

Class

ROSTER

Jr. RSo. RFr. RFr. So. RJr. Fr. Sr. RFr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. So.

Hometown/High School (Previous School)

Greensboro, N.C./Westchester Country Day (UNC-Charlotte) Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic Lilburn, Ga./Parkview Pinehurst, N.C./Pinecrest Angiers, N.C./Quince Orchard (LaSalle) Burlington, N.C./Southern Alamance Newark, Del./The Tatnall School Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor (N.C. State) Maiden, N.C./North Lincoln Apex, N.C./Apex Boone, N.C./Watauga Elkins, W.V./Elkins Tallahassee, Fla./Chiles

SCHEDULE Date Meet Sept. 4 COVERED BRIDGE OPEN Sept. 19 Winthrop Invitational Oct. 3 USC Upstate Open Oct. 16 Wake Forest Open Nov. 1 Sun Belt Conference Championships Nov. 7 Three Stripe Invitational Nov. 13 NCAA Southeast Regional Nov. 21 NCAA National Championships

Location BOONE, N.C. Rock Hill, S.C. Spartanburg, S.C. Kernersville, N.C. Hampton, Ga. Raleigh, N.C. Charlottesville, Va. Louisville, Ky.

Time 6 p.m. 9 a.m. 9 a.m. 6 p.m. 10 a.m. 9 a.m. 11 a.m. 12 p.m.

SEASON PREVIEW Appalachian State University men’s cross country enters year two in the Sun Belt Conference and an improvement upon last season’s conference results would mean winning the league outright. With that being said, it’s safe to say 2014 was a success for head coach Michael Curcio and his runners. The Mountaineers placed second in last season’s Sun Belt meet, took a top-15 finish (11th) in the NCAA’s Southeast Regional and return four of the team’s top five finishers in that regional for 2015. One of those four runners is redshirt sophomore, Michael Ellis, who finished in seventh at the league meet (second-team allconference) and paced the Apps for the regional with an 11th-place finish. On the season, Ellis finished in the top 10 three times, the top 25 five times and the top 40 in all six of the events he competed in. The Mt. Tabor product will be joined by the team’s lone senior in Kyle McFoy. The Newark, Delaware native finished in the top 25 five times, took fifth place at the Sun Belt Championships and was named first-team all-conference. After those two come junior Chris Anderson and redshirt junior Evan Laratta. Anderson placed among the top 25 in four of the five events he competed in, was third-team all-conference with an 11th-place finish and was the second Mountaineer to finish at the regional. Laratta was among the top 40 to finish in five of his six events and gained some good experience in the final meet of the season by running in the regional.

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The team has also brought in a pair of freshmen in Matt Wallace who was an all-state cross country runner and Ian Milder (N.C. State) who is one of the most successful track athletes in North Carolina high school history. The 2015 slate opens with the Covered Bridge Open on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. in Boone.

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2015 APPALACHIAN STATE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

ished fourth in the 4A North Carolina High School State Championships in the 3,200m, posting a 9:31.53 Evan Georges - RFr. - Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic PR’s Indoor: 800m - 1:59.21 ... Mile - 4:28.44 Outdoor: 800m - 1:56.74...1,500m - 3:53.20 2014-15 Cross Country: Redshirted ... Indoor: Competed in three events with the best result being a third-place finish and PR in the 800m race (1:59.21) at the Appalachian Indoor Open Split Track Meet ... that mark became Georges’ personal best ... also earned a PR in the mile with a 4:28.44 at the High Point Panthers Team Challenge (16th place) ... Outdoor: Was much busier for the outdoor season and earned himself six top-10 finishes and nine placings in the top 20 ... finished third in the 1,500m on two separate occassions including the Wake Forest Open (4:01.77) and the Charlotte Invitational (3:55.94) ... however, his PR in that event didn’t come until the App State Open when he finished in 3:53.20 and placed fourth ... ran the fastest 800m time of his career in the final meet of the season, the Sun Belt Championships, where he was clocked at 1:56.74/preliminary round and placed 16th ... finished in sixth in the 4x800m at the Raleigh Relays (7:47.64) ... was seventh in the 4x400m at the Charlotte Invitational (3:29.66) ... finished in seventh in the 1,500m race at the Sun Belt Championships with a time of 3:57.20 ... competed at USA Junior Nationals in the 1500 and placed 14th with a time of 4:04.42 ... that time missed qualifying for the next round by just two spots H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 800m - 1:57 ... 1600m - 4:20 ... 3200m - 9:44 High School: lettered in cross country and track and field ... twotime all-region and all-state as a junior ... three-time team MVP and earned Coaches Award after freshman and sophomore year. Will Henderson - RFr. - Lilburn, Ga./Parkview PR’s Indoor: Mile - 4:32.34 2014-15 Cross Country: Redshirted ... Indoor: Earned a fourthplace finish in the distance medley relay with a time of 10:20.18 at the Hokie Invitational ... his only other indoor appearance was in the mile at the same meet when he finished in 35th and was clocked at 4:32.34 (PR) ... Outdoor: Ran in two outdoor events (1,500m and 800m) with the better result coming in the 800m at the App State Open (10th place/1:55.08) H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 16:24 H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 400m - 0:49 ... 800m - 1:55 ... 1600m 4:14.57 High School: finished in fourth place at the Georgia 5A state meet in the 1600m ... lettered in cross country and track and field ... track and field all-county and all-region in 2014 ... track and field Parkview HS Runner of the Year in 2014 ... 2013 cross country Orange HS most valuable runner. Chris Kelly - So. - Pinehurst, N.C./Pinecrest PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 16:01.8...6,400m - 22:28.7...8,000m 26:58.14 2014-15 Cross Country: Fastest 6,400m time of 22:28.7 came at the Covered Bridge Open and was good for 49th ... 8K PR of 26:58.14 came at the Winthrop Invite (16th place) ... that marked his best placing of the season ... finished in 19th at the 3 Stripe Invite with a time of 16:01.8 ... finished in the top 25 three times and the top 50 four times H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 15:41 H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 1600m - 4:28 ... 3200m - 9:30 High School: lettered in both cross country and track and field ... XC all-region sophomore, junior and senior seasons ... track and field allregion junior and senior seasons ... track and field all-state as a junior ... XC and track and field team MVP for junior and senior seasons. Evan Laratta - RJr. - Angiers, N.C./Quince Orchard (LaSalle) PR’s Cross Country: 6,400m - 21:22.1 ... 8,000m - 25:55.02...10,000m - 32:44.8 Indoor: Mile - 4:20.05 ... 3,000m - 8:45.20 ... 5,000m - 15:22.91 Outdoor: 800m - 1:57.01 ... 1,500m - 3:59.18 ... 3,000m - 8:40.72 ... 5,000m - 14:59.85 2014-15 Cross Country: Fastest 6,400m time was 21:22.1 and came at the Blue Ridge Open (36th place) ... PR for the 8K was 25:55.02 and came at the Winthrop Invite (4th) ... that marked his best placing of the season ... finished in 125th at the NCAA Division I Southeast Re-

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Michael Ellis - RSo. - Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor PR’s Cross Country: 6,400m - 20:59.8...8,000m – 24:55.8...10,000m – 31:10.4 Indoor: Mile – 4:29.09…3,000m – 8:37.59...5,000m - 14:40.15 Outdoor: 3,000m - 8:48.48...5,000m – 14:28.97…3,000m steeplechase – 9:14.53 2014-15 Cross Country: Named Sun Belt Runner of the Week on Sept. 24 after finishing first at Winthrop Invite (25:36.49) ... set a new personal-best 8K time at the Sun Belt Conference Championships (24:55.8/seventh place) ... new PR in the 10K came at the Division I Southeast Regional and was 31:10.4 (38th place) ... the faster of two 6,400m times came at the Blue Ridge Open (20:59.8/24th place) ... finished in the top 10 three times, the top 25 five times and in the top 40 in all six events he raced in ... second-team all-conference ... Indoor: Placed second in the distance medley relay at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships with a time of 10:07.93 ... also placed in the top five with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000m race for the same meet and was clocked at 14:40.15 (personal best/sixth in school history) ... set a new PR in the 3,000m at the Samford Multi and Invitational with a time of 8:37.59 (13th place) ... all-conference performer ... Outdoor: Earned a top-10 finish in two events and a top-15 placing in three of them ... ran the fastest 5,000m time of his career (14:28.97/ ninth in program history) at the Tennessee Relays (10th place) ... set a new PR in the 3,000m steeplechase with a 9:14.53 at the Raleigh Relays (ninth in school history) 2013-14 Cross Country: ran a personal-best and finished 26th at the Blue Ridge Open ... took a seventh-place finish at the Winthrop/ Adidas Invitational ... ran a personal-best at the NCAA DI Southeast Region meet and took 110th .. Indoor: ran a personal best in the 3,000m and placed fifth at the 2014 Liberty Quad and fourth at the SoCon Indoor Championships ... Outdoor: ran a personal best in the 3,000s at the SoCon Outdoor Championships and placed seventh ... placed third at the Charlotte Invitational in the 3,000s. 2012-2013 Cross Country: Redshirted... Indoor: Ran in six meets... earned a sixth place finish and personal best of 8:47.37 in the 3,000m at the Liberty Quad...finished fifth in the mile at the Appalachian Indoor Open Split Meet with a PR of 4:29.09... Outdoor: Competed in six meets... finished third in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Mountains vs. Beach meet...ran a personal best of 9:29.37 in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Auburn Tiger Classic High School: was named all-region in both his junior and senior seasons...received both the Coaches Award and Most Improved for cross country...earned the Coaches Award two times for track...fin@appstatesports

2015 Appalachian State MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2015 Mountaineers

Chris Anderson - Jr. - Greensboro, N.C./ Westchester Country Day (Charlotte) PR’s Cross Country: 6,400m - 21:32.3...8,000m - 25:13.1...10,000m - 31:42.9 Indoor: 3,000m - 8:39.17 ... 5,000m - 14:50.53 Outdoor: 800m - 2:06.36...1,500m - 4:03.26...Mile - 4:21.18...5,000m 14:46.15 ... 10,000m - 31:14.03 2014-15 Cross Country: Personal best for the 8K came at the Sun Belt Conference Championships with a time of 25:13.1 (11th place) ... finished in the top 25 in four of the five events he competed in ... best placing of the season came at the Winthrop Invite when he finished in ninth (26:14) ... third-team all-conference ... Indoor: Competed in the 5,000m race three times with the best placing being ninth that came at the Hokie Invitational (15:48.78) ... His best time of those three was 15:07.52 (15th place/PR) at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships 2013-14 Indoor: ran a personal best in the 3,000m at the 2014 Liberty Quad and placed second ... took fourth place at the SoCon Indoor Championships ... Outdoor: ran a personal best in the outdoor 5,000m at the Florida Relays while placing 12th ... ran a personal best 10,000m at the SoCon Outdoor Championships and placed ninth. 2012-13 at Charlotte Cross Country: competed in every race as a constant top-five finisher ... finished second on the team at the Southeast Regional with a time of 33:18.42 ... Indoor: did not compete ... Outdoor: recorded a personal record in the 5k at the Charlotte 49ers Classic ... posted a personal best in the 1,500m at the Virginia Invitational. High School: MVP for cross country 2010-2012 ... MVP for track and field 2012 ... 2012 Male student athlete of the year ... 2011 NC champ in 1600 meters ... Three time Triad Athletic Conference selection in cross country and twice in track and field.


www.appstatesports.com 2015 Appalachian State MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2015 APPALACHIAN STATE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2015 Mountaineers

2012-13 Cross Country: ran a personal-best in the adidas/Winthrop Invitational... placed fourth for the Apps in the 49er Invite... posted an eighth-place finish for the Mountaineers at the SoCon Championships... Indoor: earned a sixth-place finish and a personalbest in the mile at the Appalachian Pre-Conference meet... finished second in the 3,000m at the Mountaineer Open... posted a personalbest time in the 3,000m at the Liberty Quad... ran a personal-best 15:16.44 in the 5,000m at the Kentucky Invitational for a seventhplace finish... Outdoor: finished second in the 5,000m at the Coastal Carolina Invitational, running a personal-best 14:50.70... posted an eighth-place finish in the 5,000m run at the SoCon Championships... set a personal-best time in the 10,000m run at the Raleigh Relays... placed seventh in the SoCon Championships in the 10,000m run 2011-12 Cross Country: Redshirted...Indoor: Ran in five meets... posted a fifth place finish in the mile and the 800m at the Appalachian Split Open...helped his team to a sixth place finish in the dual medlay relay at the Dick Taylor Invitational...Outdoor: Competed in three meets...finished third in the 3,000m steeplechase, running a 10:08.02 a the Appalachian Open Outdoor Track Meet...had a fourth place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase at the South Carolina Invitational High School: Named two-time all-state honors in cross country... member of two team state cross country championships...earned all-conference two times in cross country...two-time all-county honors in cross country and track & field.

gional with a time of 32:44.8 ... placed in the top 40 in five of his six events ... Indoor: Earned a second-place finish in the distance medley relay at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships with a time of 10:07.93 ... ran that event one other time for the indoor season and placed fourth in it as part of the Hokie Invitational with a time of 10:20.18 ... other than that, had two top-10 finishes and three in the top 15 ... placed 10th in ETSU’s 5,000m (15:34.27) and 10th in the mile at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships (4:22.77) ... his other top-15 finish came in Samford Multi and Invitational’s mile (14th place/4:21.30) ... Set a new PR for the 3,000m with an 8:45.20 at the Hokie Invitational (22nd place) ... new personal best for the mile came at the Sykes & Sabock Challenge Cup and was 4:20.05 (28th place) ... all-conference performer ... Outdoor: Finished in the top 10 three times and the top 20 five times ... best finish of the outdoor season came at the Charlotte Invitational when he placed fourth in the 5,000m with a time of 15:27.29/PR ... took home eighth place in the App State Open’s 1,500m race (3:59.18/PR) and ninth at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships’ 1,500m (3:59.35) ... 800m PR (1:57.01/preliminary round) came at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships (17th place) ... finished in 12th for the Wake Forest Open’s 3,000m (8:49.25) LaSalle (2012-14): Finished second at the Stoney Brook Spring Opener ... placed second at the Rider Invite ... placed third at Lehigh Games High School: lettered in both cross country and track and field ... individual runner-up at Maryland state cross country championships during senior year

Ian Milder - RFr. - Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor (N.C. State) PR’s Indoor: 1,000m - 2:26.02 ... Mile - 4:10.62 ... 3,000m - 8:12.79 H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5000m - 14:49 ... 2 Mile - 13:14 ... 3,200m 8:58.37 ... Indoor: 1,500m - 4:00.56 ... 1,600m - 4:17.26 ... Mile - 4:12.71 ... 3,200m - 9:18.76 ... Outdoor: 800m - 1:56.55 ... 1,600m - 4:15.63 ... Mile - 4:13.67 ... 3,000m - 8:21.63 ... 3,200m - 8:51.53 2014-15 Cross Country: Redshirted at N.C. State ... Indoor: Won the Hilton Garden’s 3,000m with a time of 8:12.79 ... Took third place at the Hokie Invite’s 1,000m with a time of 2:26.02 ... Competed in three events at the ACC Indoor Championships including the mile (4:10.62/14th), the 3,000m (8:24.46/23rd) and the distance medley relay (9:48.27/7th) High School: Among North Carolina’s top 25 all-time in eight different track events ... two-time state champ in both the 1600-meter indoor and 3200-meter indoor, both of which happened in 2014 ... outdoor marks and their rank in N.C. high school history: Second in the 3000 (8:21.63), third in the 3200 (8:51.53), fifth in the 3200 relay (7:48.33), 17th in the 1500 (4:00.56), and 23rd in the 1600 (4:11.25) ... indoor marks and state’s all-time rank: Second in the 1500 (4:00.56), second in the 1600 (4:11.25) and 20th in the 3200 (9:18.76) ... that 3200 time earned him a state title and his championship in the 1600 came with a time of 4:21.63

Collin Loy - Fr. - Burlington, N.C./Southern Alamance H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 15:44 H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 800m - 1:59 ... 1600m - 4:23 ... 3200m - 9:29 High School: four-time all-conference and two-time all-region in cross country ... three-time all-conference and all-region during junior year in track and field ... three-time Cross Country Conference Runner of the Year and team MVP during senior year ... track and field conference MVP during senior year – holds school records in the 5K, 3200 and 1600 Kyle McFoy - Sr. - Newark, Del./ The Tatnall School PR’s Cross Country: 6,400m - 20:55.2...8,000m – 24:47.4...10,000m - 31:24.6 Indoor: 800m – 2:07.84... 3,000m – 8:27.46.... Mile – 4:23.90...5,000m - 14:31.90 Outdoor: 800m – 2:04.16... 1,500m – 4:10.11... 3,000m steeplechase – 10:08.02...5,000m - 14:32.41 ... 10,000m - 29:59.14 2014-15 Cross Country: Set a new PR in the 8K with a time of 24:47.4 at the Sun Belt Conference Championships (fifth place) ... 6,400m PR came at the Blue Ridge Open where he was clocked at 20:55.2 (22nd place) ... placed in the top five three times, the top 10 four times and the top 25 five times ... best placing was third and came at the Winthrop Invite (25:46.4) ... first-team all-conference ... Indoor: Was among the top 15 to finish in each of the five indoor events that he competed in ... won the 5,000m race at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships with a time of 14:31.90 (PR) ... that mark is ranked ranked third in program history ... Placed sixth in two events including the Hokie Invite’s 5,000m (15:04.66) and the Samford Multi and Invitational’s 3,000m (8:29.64) ... Took eighth at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships’ 3,000m (8:32.78) and 15th at the Sykes & Sabock Challenge Cup’s 3,000m (8:34.58) ... all-conference performer ... Outdoor: Earned two top-10 finishes at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships including the 10K (31:53.70/eighth place) and the 5K (15:14.86/ninth place) 2013-14 Cross Country: ran a personal best in at Lehigh’s Paul Short Run ... finished second for App State at the Winthrop/ Adidas Invitational ... placed fifth at the Blue Ridge Open ... took home sixth place at the SoCon Conference meet ... finished 100th at the NCAA DI Southeast Region XC Championships ... Indoor: ran a personal best in the mile at the Appalachian PreConference Indoor meet and took first place ... also ran a personal best in the 3,000m at the SoCon Indoor T&F Championships and placed third ... also placed third in the 5,000m at the SoCon Indoor Championship ... Outdoor: ran a personal best in the outdoor 5,000m at the Florida Relays and took fifth place ... finished third at the SoCon Outdoor Championships in the 5,000m and seventh in the 10,000 with a personal best. @appstatesports

Ryan Shannon - So. - Maiden, N.C./North Lincoln PR’s Cross Country: 6,400m - 21:22.7...8,000m - 26:28.8...10,000m 33:18.1 Outdoor: 1,500m - 4:12.26...3,000m steeplechase - 9:45.22 2014-15 Cross Country: Best 8K time of the season was 26:28.8 and came at the Sun Belt Conference Championships (32nd place) ... faster of two 6,400m times was 21:22.7 and was clocked at the Blue Ridge Open (37th place) ... best placing of the season was 11th at the Winthrop Invite (26:37) ... finished in the top 15 once and the top 45 five times ... Outdoor: Placed in the top 10 three times and the top 20 in four of his five total events from the season ... Took third place in the 3,000m steeplechase at the App State Open with a time of 9:47.31 ... Finished in fifth for the 5,000m race at the Winthrop Invite (15:20.58) and ninth place in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships with a time of 9:45.22 ... Set a new PR in the 1,500m at that same meet with a time of 4:12.26 (16th place) H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 15:27 H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 800m - 2:03 ... 1600m - 4:26 ... 3200m 9:26 High School: lettered in both cross country and track and field ... two-time XC all-state ... four-time XC all-conference and all-county ... three-time state runner-up in 3200m Tyler Sink - Jr. - Apex, N.C./ Apex PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 16:11.3...6,400m - 22:43...8,000m – 27:33.2 Outdoor: 3,000m - 8:59.83...5,000m - 15:34.49 6

@AppTF_XC


2015 APPALACHIAN STATE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2014-15 Cross Country: Best 8K time of the season was 27:33.2 and was in the Upstate Invite (85th place) ... the better of two 6,400m times was 22:43 in the Blue Ridge Open (68th place) ... best placing was eighth and came at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invite (27:42.9) ... finished in the top 25 three times ... Outdoor: Competed in the 5,000m race twice during the season and took ninth place both times including the Winthrop Invite (15:36.81) and the App State Open (16:21.92) 2013-14 Cross Country: ran a personal-best at the Covered Bridge Open. H.S. PR’s: 800m – 2:04... 1600m – 4:27... 3200m – 9:40 High School: Lettered three times in cross country and twice in track and field... named all-conference as a senior... holds the school record in the 4x1600 relay Andrew Vandenberg - Jr. - Boone, N.C./Watauga PR’s Cross Country: 8,000m – 25:52.30...10,000m – 32:10.30 Indoor: 3,000m – 9:06.57...5,000m - 15:37.62 Outdoor: 3,000m – 8:58.09…5,000m – 15:16.42…10,000m – 31:46.04 2014-15 Outdoor: Set new PR’s in the 5,000m race (15:16.42/17th place) at the Wake Forest Open and the 10K (31:46.04/seventh place) at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships 2013-14 Cross Country: ran a personal-best at Lehigh’s Paul Short Run ... placed 11th at the Covered Bridge Open ... took eighth place at the Winthrop/Adidas Invitational ... ran a personal-best at the NCAA DI Southeast Region meet ... Indoor: placed second at 2014 Mountaineer Open in 3,000m ... Outdoor: ran a personal best 3,000m at Carolina’s Cup 2014 .... also ran a personal best 5,000m at Wake Forest Open. 2012-13 Cross Country: Participated in the Covered Bridge Open, finishing sixth for the Apps and 15th overall... Indoor: Placed eighth in the Mountaineer Open in the 3,000m... ran a personal-best 9:14.10 in the Liberty Quad in the 3,000m... earned a first-place finish in the 3,000m at the Appalachian Pre-Conference meet... Outdoor: Posted a personal-best in the 3,000m at Beaches vs Mountains... finished sixth in the 5,000m at the High Point VertKlasse Meeting, running a personal-best 16:17.70... garnered a second-place finish in the 10,000m at the Coastal Carolina Invitational High School: Named all-conference four times in cross country and track and field...named Most Improved his senior year for outdoor track and field...finished seventh inthe 3,200m at the 4A North Carolina Indoor State Meet, posting a 9:47.93...father, Peter Vandenberg and aunt, Whitney Ball both ran at App State and have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Chris Kelly

2015 Appalachian State MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2015 Mountaineers

Matt Wallace - Fr. - Elkins, W.V./Elkins H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 15:50.30 H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 400m - 59.53 ... 800m - 2:01.84 ... 1600m - 4:25.23 ... 3200m - 9:30.51 ... High Jump - 5-6 High School: Named to the all-state team for track as a junior and senior ... named to the all-state team for cross country as a senior

@appstatesports

Ryan Shannon

7

@AppTF_XC

www.appstatesports.com

Cade Zimmerman - So. - Tallahassee, Fla./Chiles PR’s Cross Country: 6,400m - 21:08.6...8,000m 26:00.5...10,000m - 32:47.7 2014-15 Cross Country: 8K PR was 26:00.5 and came in his first ever event, the Winthrop Invite (sixth place) ... that race also marked his best placing of the season ... placed in the top 40 in four of his five events H.S. PR’s Cross Country: 5,000m - 15:32 H.S. PR’s Track and Field: 1600m - 4:24 ... 3200m - 9:32 High School: lettered in cross country, track and field and soccer ... All-Big Bend in soccer as a sophomore and junior, XC as a sophomore, junior and senior and track and field as a junior and senior ... All-state first-team, all-region first team in XC ... 2012 XC district champion ... 2011 XC Rookie of the Year and team MVP in 2012 and 2013 ... most Improved award for soccer


Appalachian State University

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Appalachian boasts an enrollment of 17,838 students. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian is in the midst of one of the finest resort areas in the United States. Mountain foliage, skiing, the Blue Ridge Parkway (America’s most visited national park) and cool summer evenings help make the Boone area so popular. Academically, Appalachian is a comprehensive university that offers more than 130 majors. The institution stresses teaching. Classes are kept small and almost all classes are taught by full professors. The student to faculty ratio is 15-to-1. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked Appalachian among the Top 10 Regional Universities. All this at a reasonable cost. Appalachian fields 20 varsity sports at the NCAA Division I level, including cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. In the past 31 years before transferring into the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2014, the men and women have combined to win 63 Southern Conference championships in track and cross country. The men’s program has produced 43 NCAA qualifiers and seven All-Americans, while the women have 50 NCAA qualifers, 10 gaining All-America honors, a two-time NCAA National Champion, and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist. The women’s cross country team has won nine conference titles, while the men’s team has captured 14, with 1994 as a banner year as the mens team qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished the season ranked 20th in the nation.

Running Facilities

Appalachian and the surrounding areas offer some of the best and widest variety of training sites on the East Coast. Moses Cone Park and The Blue Ridge Parkway offer over 50 miles of groomed trails, while the on-campus cross country course has more than four miles of trails sitting along the New River. The course was named after Appalachian standout Don Kennedy. The 8,325- seat Holmes Convocation Center and its 300-meter indoor track opened in 2000. The stateof-the-art Appalachian Athletics Center opened in 2009 at Kidd Brewer Stadium and serves as the home for App State football and outdoor track and field.

Quick Facts

Location............................................................................. Boone, N.C. Founded..........................................................................................1899 Enrollment.................................................................................. 17,838 Conference..............................................................................Sun Belt Nickname..................................................................... Mountaineers Colors........................................................................... Black and Gold Chancellor............................................................. Dr. Sheri N. Everts Faculty Representative..........................................Dr. Alan Hauser Director of Athletics........................................................Doug Gillin Senior Assoc. Athletic Director/SWA........ Debbie Richardson Director of Track and Cross Country......................John Weaver Head Cross Country Coach.........................................Mike Curcio XC/Track Phone...........................................................828-262-3080 XC/Track Fax.................................................................828-262-4056 www.appstate.edu www.appstatesports.com


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