ROCK HILL, S.C. – Appalachian State University men's cross country finished first out of 7 teams on Saturday morning at the Winthrop Open, making it the first win for the Mountaineers at Winthrop in two years.

“We were satisfied with the win,” said head coach Michael Curcio. “We like coming back because the course gives us a benchmark on our training. We really needed to see where the guys were after the three week training cycle and we saw some great improvements for individuals.”

Senior James Howard-Smith took first overall in the meet, posting a time of 25:04.05 and recording a new personal record.

Sophomore Kyle McFoy was not far behind as he finished second and obtained a personal record in the meet with a time of 25:19.31.

“Howard-James deciding to use his fifth year has helped immensely and he is making the best of it,” said Curcio. “Kyle has really stepped up as well.  We don't have nearly as much depth as previous years so we are depending on these young men to keep moving along.”

 The Apps were close to sweeping the top eight spots with junior Chris Garrett finishing fourth, followed by Will Raby, Josh Cox, Michael Ellis and Andrew Vandenberg, respectively.

The Mountaineers took first in the meet with a total of 18 points, followed by Western Carolina with 55 and Winthrop with 79 points.

Appalachian will be back in action when they host the Mountaineer Open in Boone on Oct. 4 at 5 p.m.