LMU Women's Cross Country Team Finishes Fourth At SAC Championships

October 25, 2009

NEWTON, NC - The Lincoln Memorial University women's cross country team endned the year Saturday morning when it placed fourth among the nine conference teams participating in the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship in Newton, North Carolina.

The LMU charge was led by sophomore Sofia Lopez Mimendi (Mexico City, Mexico) who finished second overall while earning All-South Atlantic Conference status for the second years.  Lopez-Mimendi ran the 5K race in 22:15.37 to place the fourth place Lady Railsplitters, while teammates Fiona Reinecke (Knoxville, TN) and freshman Ashley Robbins (Middlesboro, Kentucky) also finished inside the top-20 respectively.  Reneke placed thirteeth overall with a time of 21:34.42 while earning All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team honors, while Robbins placed eighteenth in 22:06.58.

LMU newcomers Casey Poore (Jonesborough, TN) and Ashley Thomas (Speedwell, TN) crossed the finish line in the middle of the pack.  Poore placed thirty-first in the 5K event in 23:17.63, while Thomas was only a step behind to finish thirty-second in 23:17.88.  Teammates Amber Stoerp (Murfreesboro, TN) and Alyssa Maloney (Sneedville, TN) also finished inside the top-40 as Stoerp placed thirty-seventh 23:54.96, while Maloney was thirty-eighth in 23:57.72.

As a team, the Lady Railsplitters end the 2009 campaign have finshed first and fourth in their final two outings of the year.  With two everyone returning next year and a year of collegiate cross country under their belts, the LMU women's soccer team may be a team to contend for the South Atlantic Conference title a year from now.