FOLEY, Ala. – The App State men's cross country team won its fourth consecutive Sun Belt Championship by dominating Friday's meet, earning the league's first four-peat in almost 40 years.
Thomas Wlazlowski led the way and became App State's first Sun Belt individual cross country champion when he crossed the line in the second-fastest time in program history (23:33.4). It was the first time a Mountaineer won an individual men's cross country league title since Brian Deal won the SoCon title in 2007. Wlazlowski moved up two spots in the final 2K to win the 8K race and pace seven Mountaineers in the top 10. Noah Martinson finished just behind him in third, with Henry Stark, Jackson Tuck and Rowan Gwin also scoring and rounding out the top seven for first-team all-conference honors.
App State's team score of 21 was the best by a Sun Belt winning team since 2002 and the best in program history, Sun Belt or Southern Conference. The Mountaineers finished a whopping 56 points ahead of second-place Arkansas State.
Aaron Kidd (eighth), Aidan Morrow (10th) and Derek Waite (11th) all earned second-team all-conference status.
"The guys raced well, and one of the toughest things to do is to win, especially when you are expected to win," said Brad Herbster, who won Sun Belt Cross Country Coach of the Year honors for the fourth straight season. "The guys had good composure all day, and Noah really made that race happen up front. Thomas did a wonderful job winning that race and pushing there at the end, while Henry and Rowan put themselves in it late and worked together to finish strong."
The Mountaineers swept the awards as well, with Wlazlowski taking home Sun Belt Men's Runner of the Year, Jackson Tuck taking home Freshman of the Year, Henry Stark winning his second straight Men's Elite Award, to go with Herbster's fourth straight award.
Notable men's team achievements:
In the women's 5K, Josie Jackson and Tessa Massa both finished in the top 10 and earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors, while Bre Budzinski made the third team for the second consecutive year. The women's team finished fourth overall with 108 team points, behind Louisiana, Southern Miss and James Madison.
"I'm proud of how Josie and Tessa performed today. They both finished in the top 10 and improved on their finishes from last year," App State women's coach Annie Richards said. "Bre and Baylor (Wolfe) also had strong races today. The team fell short of our competitive goals. Our team wants more and holds itself to a higher standard, so moving forward, I will make necessary adjustments, and we'll continue to work on our competition mindset to bring the best of ourselves on race day."
The App State men and women will turn their attention next to the Nov. 13 NCAA Southeast Regional in Spartanburg, S.C.
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Men's Team Standings
1.App State – 21 points
2. Arkansas State – 77 points
3. Marshall – 91 points
4. Coastal Carolina – 124 points
5. ULM – 127 points
6. Troy – 158 points
7. Louisiana – 181 points
8. South Alabama – 182 points
9. Louisiana Tech - 282 points
Women's Team Standings
1. Louisiana – 46
2. Southern Miss – 81
3. JMU – 86
4. App State – 108
5. Marshall – 139
6. Arkansas State – 158
7. Coastal Carolina – 158
8. ULM – 235
9. South Alabama – 252
10. Georgia Southern – 264
11. Troy – 267
12. Georgia State – 325
13. Louisiana Tech – 376
