KERNERSVILLE, N.C. -- Appalachian State men's cross country placed five runners in the top-20 to win the Vertcross Invitational on Friday evening.
The Mountaineers tallied 57 points in the meet to win the championship. High Point was second with 64 points and Clemson finished third with 65 points.
App State has now won two of four meets it has scored in this season and posted a top-seven finish in all four scored races.
Isaac Benz led the Black and Gold across the finish line for the third time this season, finishing third overall on the 8K course in 25:14.8. Benz now has three top-three finishes on the season.
Ben Cignarale and
Oliver Wilson-Cook both recorded top-15 finishes for App State. Cignarale placed 11th overall in 25:38.8 and Wilson-Cook was 14th in 25:43.7.
Ryan Brown finished 16th with a time of 25:43.8 and
Michael Flanagan was right behind in 17th in 25:48.8.
Ethan Barber placed 14th in 26:05.1, reigning Sun Belt Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week
Lawson Benfield placed 27th in 26:12.4 and
Sawyer Gwyn-Rowsom was 29th in 26:16.7.
App State will compete next at the Sun Belt Championships on Nov. 2 in McDonough, Ga.
Team Standings
1. Appalachian State, 57; 2. High Point, 64; 3. Clemson, 65; 4. VMI, 100; 5. Charleston Southern, 117; 6. North Carolina A&T, 137; 7. UNC-Asheville, 199; 8. Radford, 227; 9. USC Upstate, 228; 10. Roanoke, 274; 11. King, 356; 12. Winthrop, 359; 13. Longwood, 384; 14. William Peace, 456; 15. Hampden-Sydney, 462