York's Tim Hartung Captures Third Straight Men’s Cross Country Individual Title; Spartans Edge Christopher Newport For Third Consecutive Team Crown

Posted: Nov 02, 2013

York's Tim Hartung Captures Third Straight Men’s Cross Country Individual Title; Spartans Edge Christopher Newport For Third Consecutive Team Crown

York senior Tim Hartung became just the second men’s cross country athlete in the history of the Capital Athletic Conference to secure three individual championships, leading the Spartans to their straight third team crown on Saturday at Winter Park Place in Salisbury, Md.

York placed four runners in the top 10 to claim the team crown with 33 points. Christopher Newport took second with 50 points, followed by Salisbury (85) and Mary Washington (85) in a third-place tie. Frostburg State (153) and St. Mary’s (170) completed the top five.

Hartung completed the three-peat with a time of 25:33.10, defeating Christopher Newport junior Samuel Martin (25.52.80) by nearly 20 seconds. Mary Washington junior Julian Menk (26:12.10) edged out senior teammate Nick Eghtessad (26:12.40) for third, while Frostburg State senior Patrick Mead (26:15.60) rounded out the top five.

Hartung, who earned 2013 CAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors for his performance, joins Goucher’s Jeff Olenick, the individual champion in 1997, 1999, and 2000, as the only three-time title winners in CAC history.

The Spartans had a strong contingent of runners near the front of the pack, with each of their top-five finishers placing in the top 11 of the 116-person field. York nabbed spots 6-8 in the event, with junior Wil Murray (6^th/26:20.40), senior Craig Eppler (7^th/26.20.80), and junior Connor Simpson (8^th/26:22.30) securing top-10 finishes with junior Michael Stetson (26:24.90) close behind in 11^th.

Paced by Martin in second, Christopher Newport posted a second-place team mark with three runners in the top 10. Senior Aaron Zook took ninth in 26:22.40, while freshman John LaPointe tallied a 10^th-place mark at 26:24.90, earning CAC Rookie of the Year accolades as the top freshmen finisher.

Menk and Eghtessad secured third and fourth, respectively, to lead Mary Washington into a third-place tie with Salisbury, while the Sea Gulls’ top finishers packed together for spots 14-16, with senior Nathan Austin, sophomore Thomas Burke, and junior Jeremy Skarda recording key points for the Sea Gulls.

Southern Virginia, a provisional NCAA Division III member, also competed in the CAC Championships but was ineligible to record a team score as a provisional member. The Knights become eligible for CAC postseason competition in 2014-15.