SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's track & field teams recorded solid performances in three meets this weekend, highlighted by school records in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase and the men's 4x800-meter relay.

At the Duke Invitational, senior Carolyne Chelulei (Eldoret, Kenya) registered a program-best time of 11:22.64 in the women's 3K steeplechase, earning seventh-place. She broke her previous event record of 11:25.67 set at the Catamount Classic March 24.

In the men's 3K steeplechase, junior Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.) also broke his own Upstate record with a time of 9:36.17, claiming ninth-place in Durham, N.C. His previous school-best mark was 9:49.05, which he set at Auburn in 2011.

The Spartan men's 4x800-meter relay team of freshman Evan Woodruff (Sebastian, Fla.), sophomore Joey Daversa (Chesapeake, Va.), junior Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) and sophomore Matt Johnson (Elgin, S.C.) took second-place at the Duke Invite. The Upstate foursome recorded a time of 7:41.34, beating the prior school record of 7:43.38 set in 2011...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams posted strong finishes at the NCAA Southeast Region Championships hosted by Louisville today as the Spartan women took home an impressive 17th-place finish, while the Spartan men were a solid 22nd in the team standings.

Upstate tallied 468 points in the women's 6K for a strong 17th-place finish as the team was led by the senior duo of Joan Tangwar (Eldoret, Kenya) and Jemeli Sang (Eldoret, Kenya). Tangwar came in 15th and Sang claimed 16th with times of 20:45.7 and 20:46.9, respectively. The pair earned Southeast All-Region honors.

In the men's 10K, the Spartans collected 590 points for a 22nd-place team finish.

"The men had a great meet," Blackwelder said. "Finishing 22nd in the Southeast Region is a solid performance. It is a strong region and a great performance for Upstate's first-ever post season competition."

Junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) led the squad, crossing the line in 30:21.6 to snag an 11th-place finish. He picked up All-Region accolades for his performance.

Junior Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla.) was the second-top finisher for the Spartan men today with a time of 32:58.5 to take the 117th slot. He was followed by sophomore Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.), who came in 220th-place with a time of 33.37.4.

"I'm really proud of how our guys handled the pressure and the 10k distance," Blackwelder said. "Cameron Thomas stepped up and ran a great race to be our number-two man on the team."

Junior Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.) came in 156th-place with a time of 33:57.3, while classmate Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) crossed the line in 34:15.4 for the 162nd spot. Senior James Jackson (Aiken, S.C.) posted a 165th-place finish and sophomore Joey Daversa (Chesapeake, Va.) claimed 195th with times of 34:26.4 and 35.39.7, respectively.

"This meet was a great building block for our program," Blackwelder said. "With six of our top seven returning for next year, we have a great bright future."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams put on a great show in Music City this morning for the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Cross Country Championships as the men's team took home the team crown and the Spartans collected individual titles in both the men's and women's races courtesy of junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) and Jemeli Sang (Eldoret, Kenya). The event was hosted by Belmont at Percy Warner Park on the Vaughn's Gap Course.

This marks the first Atlantic Sun team title for Upstate as the men's team posted a score of 69 to defeat two-time defending champions, Kennesaw State. Kemboi crossed the finish line first in a time of 24:27.01, the fourth-fastest time in A-Sun history, to win his second-straight individual title. The junior became the sixth A-Sun student-athlete to win back-to-back individual meet titles.

"We're thrilled to bring home a team championship and I'm very proud of our guys," said associate head coach Carson Blackwelder. "We've finished third the last two years, so we knew we could do well, but we had few guys that when it was time to step up, they did."

The Spartan men had three individuals post top-10 finishes as junior Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) came in sixth with a time of 25:18.35 and classmate Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.) crossed the line in 10th with a time of 25:41.64. Junior Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla.) snagged a clutch 17th-place finish for Upstate with a time of 25:57.73. Kemboi and Dennison earned first team all-conference marks, while Ritacco was a second team all-conference selection. Kemboi was named the A-Sun men's Runner of the Year, while Blackwelder was chosen as the A-Sun Coach of the Year.

The Spartan men claimed the championship crown with a total of 69 points, edging Kennesaw State (79 points) by 10 points. Championship host Belmont came in third-place with 84 points.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams head to Nashville, Tenn., for the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday, Oct. 29, hosted by Belmont at Percy Warner Park on the Vaughn's Gap Course.

This will be the fifth meet of the 2011 season for the Spartan cross country teams with the men's race set for 10 a.m. CT and the women's at 10:45 a.m. CT In four meets, the women's team claimed four individual wins with senior Joan Tangwar (Eldoret, Kenya) picking up three wins and classmate Jemeli Sang (Eldoret, Kenya) earning one race victory, while the men's team has collected two individual wins courtesy of junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya).

As the Atlantic Sun defending champion, Kemboi looks to become the sixth A-Sun student-athlete to win back-to-back individual meet titles this weekend. His time of 24:00 at the 2010 Championship was the third-fastest in conference history. The Spartan men have finished third in the A-Sun meet the last two years and return two all-conference selections from last year in Kemboi and junior Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) and an all-freshman team member in sophomore Andrew Kipchumba (Eldoret, Kenya).

"This is the best men's team Upstate has ever had," said Upstate's associate head coach Carson Blackwelder. "We have nine guys that will contribute and hopefully bring us a top-two finish. The men's team feels it has something to prove to the A-Sun and to Upstate."

This season, Kemboi has won two races and finished second in one. He posted the second fastest-time in the conference this season with a 24:14 mark en route to a second-place finish at the Charlotte Invitational Sept. 30. As a team the Upstate men finished sixth out of 34 strong teams at the Charlotte meet. Junior Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.) recorded the second-best time for the Spartans this season with a time of 25:33.55, while sophomore Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.) posted the third-fastest time of 25:55.90.

The Kennesaw State men look for their third-straight A-Sun Championship team title, while the North Florida women seek to defend their 2010 team crown. Full results, highlights and interviews will be posted on the Atlantic Sun website following the conclusion of both the men's and women's races.

Spartanburg, S.C. - Led by a pair of dominant performances by Gilbert Kemboi and Joan Tangwar, the USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams swept the races at the Upstate Invitational Saturday morning at Milliken Research Park.

Upstate used the races as a tune-up for the A-Sun Championships in two weeks in Nashville, Tenn., and did so in strong fashion. Both teams had the top five runners that counted in the team scores in each race to give the Spartans 15 points to run away with the team titles. Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) dominated the field and covered the 8k distance in a time of 25:33 to win the race by 1:02 over Daniel Smoak, who ran unattached. Tangwar (Eldoret, Kenya) also turned in a dominant performance, finishing the 5k race in 17:32 to finish eight seconds ahead of teammate and second-place finisher Jemeli Sang (Eldoret, Kenya).

In the women's race, Tangwar set the tone for the Spartans with her race win as Upstate sprinted off the line and took control of the race...

Upstate claimed the team title with 15 points and was followed by Wofford (85), Carson-Newman (87), Darton (97), Presbyterian College (113), Piedmont (145), Newberry (167) and Claflin (220).

On the men's side, Kemboi was the star of the show. His time of of 25:33 was his slowest of the season, but it was more than enough to win the race by a large 1:02 margin. It was his second win of the season. The Spartans also swept the first five positions in times which counted for the team scores.

Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) ran his second-fastest time of the season in finishing second in team scoring and third overall with a time of 26:48. Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.) ran a time of 26:55 to finish third in the team scoring and fourth overall. Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.) finished fourth in the team scoring and fifth overall with a time of 27:01. Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla.) was the fifth Spartan to finish, turning in a time of 27:12 to give the Spartans the top five finishers in the race.

Upstate claimed the championship with 15 points and was followed by Darton (49), Newberry (112), Piedmont (119), Presbyterian College (128), Carson-Newman (133) and Claflin (195)...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams are set to host the Upstate Invitational this weekend at Milliken Research Park.

This will be the fourth meet of the 2011 season for the Spartan cross country teams with the women's race set for 10 a.m. and men's at 10:45 a.m. The eight-team race will consist of men's and women's programs from Carson-Newman, Clafin, Darton, Newberry, Piedmont, Presbyterian and Wofford.

"This will be a good tune-up meet for us this Saturday as we prepare for the Atlantic Sun Championship meet Oct. 29," said Upstate's associate head coach Carson Blackwelder.

In the Spartans' last outing, senior Joan Tangwar won her second race of the season, posting a Spartan record with a time of 16:53.7 in the women's 5K at the Charlotte Invitational Sept. 30. She beat out 289 other competitors from ACC, SEC and regionally ranked teams. Tangwar was followed by fellow seniors Jemeli Sang in fifth-place and Caroline Chelulei in eighth with times of 17:13.5 and 17:30.2, respectively. Sang and Chelulei also set personal records at the Charlotte meet. The trio helped the women's squad to an 11th-place finish out of 36 six teams.

In the Charlotte Invitational men's 8K, junior Gilbert Kemboi earned a second-place finish with a time of 24:14.0, beating 256 other runners. Junior Christian Ritacco crossed the line in 26:01.9, coming in 63rd, while sophomore Ross Oden came in 68th with a time of 26:11.8. As a team the Spartan men finished sixth out of 34 teams.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Senior Joan Tangwar of the USC Upstate women's cross country team took top honors tonight at the Charlotte Invitational, while the Upstate men's team finished sixth amongst tough competition.

Tangwar won her second race of the season, posting a Spartan record with a time of 16:53.7 in the women's 5K and beating 289 other competitors. She was followed by fellow seniors Jemeli Sang in fifth-place and Caroline Chelulei in eighth with times of 17:13.5 and 17:30.2, respectively. Sang and Chelulei also set personal records tonight. The trio helped the women's squad to an 11th-place finish out of 36 six teams.

"It was great to have three women finish in the top eight against such tough competition," said Upstate's interim-head cross country coach Carson Blackwelder. "I was glad to see the women's team be so aggressive today. We keep improving as a whole and the team is in great shape. We keep looking toward the conference meet; that's the goal."

In the men's 8K, junior Gilbert Kemboi earned a second-place finish with a time of 24:14.0, beating 257 other runners. Junior Christian Ritacco crossed the line in 26:01.9, coming in 63rd, while sophomore Ross Oden came in 68th with a time of 26:11.8. As a team the Spartan men finished sixth out of 34 teams.

"I'm very pleased with a sixth-place team finish here, running against really strong teams," Blackwelder said. "The men's team was consistent today and it's nice to see that our training is paying off."

CLEMSON, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Clemson Invitational today as senior Jemeli Sang took top honors in the women's race.

Sang posted a school record in the women's 6K with a time of 20:42.88, followed by teammate and fellow senior Joan Tangwar in third with a time of 20:49.08. Caroline Chelulei took 30th, crossing the line in 21:55.32 as the senior trio helped the Spartans to a sixth-place finish out of 12 teams.

The Spartans competed against runners from Anderson, Chattahoochee Tech, Converse, Davidson, Erskine, Florida State, Furman, Georgia Tech, King College, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and host Clemson with the women running a 6K Friday, instead of the usual 5K.

"Jemeli had a great race, it was her first collegiate cross country victory," said Upstate's interim-head cross country coach Carson Blackwelder. "Joan and Jemeli followed the race plan by running near the front, being patient and then pushing the last couple miles. Overall it was good race for our team. This was their first race at the 6k distance, which we will see later this year at regionals."

In the men's 8K, junior Christian Ritacco was the top finisher for Upstate, coming in 52nd with a career-best time of 25:33.55. Sophomore Ross Oden claimed the 64th slot with a time of 25:55.90, while classmate Andrew Kipchumba registered a time of 26:02.70 for 66thplace. Ritacco, Oden and Kipchumba helped the Spartans to an eighth-place finish out of 12 teams.

"The race was exactly what we needed with the cool weather aiding us in some fast times," Blackwelder said. "Eleven of our 14 guys recorded personal records. It proves that our training is working and we are getting better each day."

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No amount of stormy weather delays could slow down USC Upstate's Joan Tangwar and Gilbert Kemboi of the women's and men's cross country teams from winning tonight's annual running of the Eye Opener Invitational.

With the sun setting the Spartans raced the darkness as Tangwar took home top honors in the women's 5K, posting a school record and course record with a time of 17:06...

In order to get both the women's and men's races in tonight, the weather resulted in both the men and women running at the same time in order to avoid darkness. Kemboi, no stranger to finishing ahead of the pack, put up a time of 24:52 in the men's 8K.

"The Eye Opener used to be run in the morning, but today it was a little bit different and the weather made it a little unpredictable," Kemboi said. "Team-wise, as time goes by, I hope we get a little bit better and keep improving. It wasn't my best time, but I'm hoping that as the season goes on I'll be able to push through to the next level that I haven't been able to reach yet..."

On the men's side, sophomore Andrew Kipchumba took 14th with a time of 26:40, while junior Christian Ritacco claimed 16th, crossing the line in 26:40 to help Upstate to a fourth-place finish...

Upstate is back in action Sept. 16, traveling to the Clemson Invitational. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook and Twitter.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In 2007-08, USC Upstate embarked on a new journey for its athletics program, transitioning its sports team from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. After four years of competing as a transitional member of Division I, Upstate is poised to receive full certification by the NCAA with all teams eligible for postseason play in NCAA and A-Sun championships.

Two Spartan programs, men’s soccer and softball, were eligible in their third season of D-I play after being selected as the institution’s fast-tracked sports. Men’s soccer fell just short of an A-Sun Tournament berth in 2009, while softball appeared in the conference tournament in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, the softball team came out of the loser’s bracket and advanced to the championship game before falling to Lipscomb. In 2011, Upstate was the number three seed and the host institution for the championship event.

“We are thrilled to have nearly completed the transitional process to full Division I membership,” said Mike Hall, Director of Athletics. “It has been difficult on our coaches, staff and most of all our student-athletes who did not have postseason opportunities. This will definitely aid in our recruiting of prospective student-athletes and generate more excitement for all of our fans that can now attend conference tournaments and, hopefully, NCAA Championships. Many people contributed to our move to D-I and we will always be thankful for the involvement of our administration, faculty/staff, student body, alumni, donors and sponsors.”

Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's track & field team will look to build on its past success when it takes to the track in the 2011 A-Sun Outdoor Championships which start Friday at North Florida in Jacksonville.

The men's team finished sixth a year ago with Mike Meissner (Cottage Grove, Minn.) highlighting the way with his conference championship in the 400-meter dash. The Spartans are coming off of an impressive outing at the 2011 A-Sun Indoor Championships and have had successful outdoor meets over the last month. The women's team finished fifth at last year's outdoor championships and has had impressive results so far this season.

The men's team boasts four individuals who are returning conference champions, highlighted by two-time champion Perrish Goggins (Columbia, S.C.) Goggins, who redshirted last year, won conference championships in the high jump and long jump as a freshman in the 2009 A-Sun Outdoor Championships. He has had a strong spring and looks to be a contender in those events, as well as the triple jump, in this year's meet...

One event that has been a focus of the men's team is its performance in the 4x400-meter relay. The Spartans have traditionally not been strong in the event, but have made great strides this season. They finished second at the A-Sun Indoor Championships and have posted school records throughout the spring. The addition of brothers Matt and Michael Johnson (Elgin, S.C.) to the unit has bolstered the lineup which also includes Meissner and

Other Spartans to look for in the championships are runners Ben Wheeler (Spartanburg, S.C.; 110-meter hurdles), Brandon Curry (Anderson, S.C.; 110-meter hurdles) Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.; 3,000-meter steeplechase) and Josh Powers (Spartanburg, S.C.; 400-meter hurdles). Eric Chapman (Cowpens, S.C.) should also prove to be a factor in the discus and hammer throw.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Head track and field coach Jimmy Stephens will begin his fourth season at USC Upstate, as he looks to elevate a young Spartans track and field program to even greater heights in 2010-11.

According to Stephens, for a program still in its infancy in just its fourth season of existence at Upstate, the biggest challenge for getting the program up and running has been establishing depth on both the men's and women's side.

"One of the biggest challenges in starting a program from the ground and building a foundation for success is being able to get the depth you need to compete with the Kennessaw State's and the East Tennessee State's of the Atlantic Sun," said Stephens.

"I really expect the women to see improvement in sprints and our relay teams...

The Spartans will commence the 2010-11 indoor season on Saturday, making the short trip to Clemson University to compete in the Orange and Purple Winter Classic. The Spartans will be one of several regional teams competing at the one-day meet, which will include a nationally-acclaimed Clemson track and field team that is steeped in tradition.

Upstate's strength on both the men's and women's side this season should once again its distance runners. On the men's side, junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) and sophomores Cameron Thomas (Niceville, FL./Niceville HS) and Christian Ritacco (Niceville, FL.) will be the leaders among a strong core of runners in distance events.

As a freshman last season, Kemboi was sensational in his inaugural campaign as a Spartan, highlighted by his record-setting performance in the 5,000-meter run at the Niswonger Invitational...

Spartanburg, S.C. – USC Upstate cross country runners Gilbert Kemboi and Joan Tangwar each turned in standout performances en route to winning their respective races at the USC Upstate Invitational Saturday morning at the Milliken Research Park. Their efforts helped the men's and women's team take second place in the meet.

"We are doing well and are heading in the right direction with our performances," said Upstate assistant coach Carson Blackwelder. "Today was a pretty good day for us. Our top three runners on the men's side are pretty strong, we just need to have our four and five guys come together if we want to compete...

Despite Kemboi's dominant performance, Upstate finished second to North Florida. The Ospreys claimed positions 3-6 in the race to finish first. Upstate's Andrew Kipchumba (Eldoret, Rift Valley, Kenya) finished eighth in a time of 26:07.72, nearly 17 seconds better than he ran on the same course in the Eye Opener meet in September. Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa.) led a group of three Upstate runners who finished 11th, 12th and 13th. Dennison ran the race in 26:11.15. He was followed by Carmeron Thomas (Niceville, Fla., 26:11.52) and James Jackson (Aiken, S.C., 26:12.28).

Four Spartans who finished in the top 40 ran personal best times in the race Saturday. Thomas and Jackson each ran their fastest times in the 8k to finish in the top 15, while Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla., 26:52.62) knocked 18 seconds off of his top time to finish 25th. Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.) also ran a personal best with a time of 27:28.53.

Upstate will take to the Milliken course for the third time this year when it plays host to the 2010 A-Sun Championships in two weeks...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams each were predicted to finish in the top three for the first time ever. The men's team was predicted to finish second, while the women's team earned a tie for third.

"To go from being a new team and finishing at the bottom of the conference in 2007, to being ranked as one of the top programs is very exciting," said head coach Jimmy Stephens. "Our staff and teams have put in a ton of work to get to this point. I am very excited for our program and the direction we are headed!"

At last season's Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championships, Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya/Kangetuny) and Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla./Niceville) led the Spartans to a tie for third-place. Kemboi finished second-overall at the championship event, earning First-Team All-A-Sun honors and Freshman of the Year accolades after earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

Ritacco, finished 15th-overall, also earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Both Kemboi and Ritacco are back for their sophomore campaigns and are joined by two other strong sophomore performers Davey Dennison (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) and Cameron Thomas (Niceville, Fla./Niceville).

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - For the first time in history, the City of Spartanburg was host to its first ever invitational meet on Saturday. The USC Upstate track and field team hosted the USC Upstate Invitational, which was held at Spartanburg High School.

"Having a facility like this is at Spartanburg High is going to help the community host events like this again," said head coach Jimmy Stephens. "We had some really good teams come to the first invitational meet ever held in Spartanburg. From here we hope that the event will continue to grow and hopefully less rain in the future."

For most of the meet, the skies alternated between sunny and overcast, until the latter stages of the event. A steady rainstorm arrived and refused to let up as the final few events were run on Saturday.

Michael Meissner (Cottage Grove, Minn./UW-River Falls) and paced the Spartans at Saturday's meet. Meissner raced to victory in the men's 400-meter dash. His mark of 49.14 was both a personal-best as well as a new school record.

The junior also competed in the 200-meter dash, where he finished 11th with a time of 22.54. Also competing in the event were Spartans Reggie Garnett (Columbia, S.C./Robert G. Cole) and Dominic Simon (Sumter, S.C./Sumter). Garnett (23.84) finished 23rd and was immediately followed by Simon (23.86).

On the men's side, Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla./Niceville) led the way as he finished 8th-overall (4:10.74). James Jackson (Aiken, S.C./Aiken) recorded a time of 4:14.53 to finish 11th and Dylan Taylor (Woodruff, S.C./Woodruff) finished 12th with a time of 4:27.18.

Upstate will break from competition as they prepare for exams. The Spartans will return to the track when they compete at the Orange & Purple Classic in Clemson, S.C. on May 7th.

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The USC Upstate track and field team had several quality performances on Saturday afternoon at the Furman Invitational. This was the first meet of the outdoor season for the Spartans in the state of South Carolina and they did not disappoint.

"Today was a day that we really tried to focus on our sprinters as well as field performers," said head coach Jimmy Stephens. "Most of our distance guys had an easy day as most of them ran in just one event. We are beginning to enter crunch time as the conference championships are coming up in just about a month. I was really proud of the effort our team gave today and I am looking forward to our home meet that we are hosting on April 24th."

Michael Meissner (Cottage Grove, Minn./UW-River Falls) recorded a time of 50.26 as he won the 400-meter dash. Meissner also had a strong showing the 200-meter dash as he finished 2nd (22.63) and just missed out on another victory as Elias Conits finished in 22.62.

"Michael had a solid day," added Stephens. "He is training very hard and as he is working toward the Atlantic Sun championships, having days like this, is good for Michael as well as the entire team."

The Spartans recorded two top-10 marks in the men's 1,500-meter run. Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla./Niceville) recorded a time of 4:13.09 as he finished sixth. Dylan Taylor finished 10th after a time of 4:35.99.

The track and field team will return to action next weekend as they travel to Charlotte, N.C. for the second time this season. The Spartans will compete in the Charlotte Invitational on Saturday, April 17, 2010.