MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Appalachian State University men's cross country earned its 15^th Southern Conference Championship this afternoon as it defeated a field of 11 SoCon opponents. The win marks the first time the Mountaineers' have stood on the podium in two years after a fourth place finish in its 2011 campaign.

Senior Alex Taylor paced the Apps as he had his best outing of the 2012 season, finishing fourth overall with a 24:42.01. Senior Sean Soderman crossed the line second for App State as he finished 11^th overall with a 25:12.35 and Michael Lilley crossed the line 14^th overall with a 25:21.54.

Josh Cox followed right behind Lilley as he finished 15^th overall with a 25:23.10 and senior Brian Graves rounded out the scoring for Appalachian with a 19^th place overall finish, running a 25:35.31.

Soderman earned his fourth cross country SoCon title, as Taylor helped lead the Apps to his third title in his collegiate career. Taylor earned All-SoCon first team for his performance on the afternoon, while Soderman and Lilley both earned All-SoCon second team honors. Freshman Mitch McLeod earned All-SoCon freshman team for his performances in the 2012 season, while head coach Michael Curcio garnered Coach of the Year honors.

Appalachian State capped off the afternoon earning 63 points, finishing 28 ahead of Chattanooga who scored 91 points for a second place finish. UNC-Greensbro took home a third place finish behind junior Paul Chelimo who won the individual championship, crossing the line at 23:42.22.

App State will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 3 when they travel to Cary, N.C. for the Three Stripes Invitational. The meet is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.