The William and Mary men's cross country team put together one of its finest efforts of the season Friday, upsetting three higher-ranked teams to finish sixth at the Southeast Region Championships in Charlottesville.  No. 17-ranked Eastern Kentucky won the meet with 58 points, ahead of Virginia's 96 points.  In the individual 10K standings, Paul Chelimo of UNC Greensboro won by a second-and-a-half over Andrew Colley of NC State with a time of 28:37.3.

Complete Results

The Tribe's top finisher was senior Joshua Mercado (Citrus Heights, Calif.), who ran 29:57.1 for 29th place.  It was his first time leading the team this year, and also bodes well for the track season as he crossed the line almost a minute ahead of his 10,000m PR on the track.  Sophomore Ryan Gousse (Apopka, Fla.) also ran a great race, finishing 42nd overall in 30:24.4, just about a second ahead of freshman Trevor Sleight (Asheville, N.C.) in 44th place.  Senior Rad Gunzenhauser (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was 48th overall in 30:33.0, and redshirt-freshman David Barney (Lynchburg, Va.) rounded out the scoring in 74th with a time of 30:58.6.  Finishing off the team showing on the day was freshman Faris Sakallah (Chantilly, Va.), in 31:26.2, and sophomore Nathaniel Hermsmeier (Charlottesville, Va.), in 33:02.8.

William and Mary will next be in action next Saturday, Nov. 23, at the IC4A Championships in New York City.  The 105th edition of the oldest cross country championships in the nation will begin at 10:15 a.m. in historic Van Cortlandt Park.

2013 NCAA Southeast Region Championships - 10K
Panorama Farms - Charlottesville, Va.

Top Five Teams
1. #17 Eastern Kentucky 58
2. RV Virginia 96
3. North Carolina State 101
4. #18 North Carolina 137
5. Virginia Tech 167
6. William and Mary 232

Top Five Individuals
1. Paul Chelimo (UNCG) 28:37.3
2. Andrew Colley (NCST) 28:38.7
3. Soufiane Bouchikhi (EKU) 28:43.6
4. Thomas Curtin (VT) 28:46.7
5. Kyle King (UVA) 28:53.7

W&M Finishers
29. Joshua Mercado 29:57.1
42. Ryan Gousse 30:24.4
44. Trevor Sleight 30:26.0
48. Rad Gunzenhauser 30:33.0
74. David Barney 30:58.6
103. Faris Sakallah 31:26.2
180. Nathaniel Hermsmeier 33:02.8