by Kevin Buczek
CONCORD, N.C.-All five scoring runners for Barton College finished the women's 5,000-meter race within 70 seconds of each other as the Lady Bulldogs captured third place out of 12 teams in the 2012 Conference Carolinas Championships hosted by Belmont Abbey College at Frank J. Liske Park on Friday afternoon.
Barton scored 116 points to hold off Erskine College (134 points) for third place. No. 4 Southeast Region ranked King College upset top-ranked Mount Olive College for the team title with all five scoring runners making All-Conference (top-15). The Trojans were led by race individual champion Amber Thompson.
The Lady Bulldogs were predicted to finish sixth in the preseason coaches' but were able to finish three spots better with all five scoring harriers earning a position in the upper half of the 86 runner field.
Sophomore Lauren Andreola and freshman Lauren Yoho just missed All-Conference honors finishing 17th and 19th, respectively, with times of 21:07 and 21:13. Sophomore Cimone Barbour completed the 5k course in 21:33 to place 22nd; senior Alexa Tovella clocked in at 21:44 to earn 26th; and sophomore Andrea Roca bounced back from injury on the same course two weeks earlier with a time of 22:11 to finish 32nd. Senior Ashley Freeman added a time of 23:37 (55th).
After finishing seventh in the Conference Carolinas Championships in each of third year head coach Karen Godlock's first two seasons, the Lady Bulldogs made a statement in 2012 with a young team that will be returning four of its top five scoring runners and will look for two-time First Team All-Conference performer Ericka Skinner to bounce back from injury that caused her to medically red shirt her junior season.
The third place outcome is Barton's best showing in the league event since the Lady Bulldogs finished third in the 2005 season and ties for the second best result in school history (finished second in 1999).
Barton will next compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional hosted by Queens University of Charlotte at McAlpine Creek Park on Saturday, November 3. The women's 6k race is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
Barton Results
17. Lauren Andreola (21:07.81)
19. Lauren Yoho (21:13.63)
22. Cimone Barbour (21.33.03)
26. Alexa Tovella (21:44.43)
32. Andrea Roca (22:11.70)
55. Ashley Freeman (23:37.69)
