Mike McClay Takes First, Jenna Ford Places Third to Lead Runnin' Bulldogs in 2 Mile Run at Gamecock Invitational
October 03, 2013 | Cross Country
Columbia, S.C. - Senior Mike McClay won the men's 2 mile run and freshman Jenna Ford recorded her highest finish as a Runnin' Bulldog by placing third in the women's 2 mile run, as Gardner-Webb cross country impressed at the Gamecock Invitational on Wednesday evening.
Gardner-Webb finished third in the women's team standings, accumulating 86 points. Led by McClay's individual win, GWU finished first in the men's team standings with 20 points.
Jenna Ford (Wasilla, Alaska) led the Gardner-Webb women with a career best 3rd place on Wednesday evening. The Runnin' Bulldog rookie raced to a 2 mile time of 12:02.24.
Sophomore Claire Cates (Hillsborough, N.C.) took 11th place in the women's 2 mile run, finishing as GWU's second fastest runner thanks to a time of 12:45.45. Fellow sophomore Kaycee Martin (Madison, Ala.) also recorded a top 20 finish on Wednesday, recording a time of 14:20.75.
Senior Megan Frost (Thurmont, Md.) finished in 24th place (14:46.07) and fellow senior Ashley Slate (High Point, N.C.) placed 33rd with a 2 mile time of 17:34.71 to round out GWU's top five in the event.
McClay (Lawrenceville, Ga.) won the second event of his collegiate career on Wednesday, placing first with a time of 9:59.18.
Freshman James Haynes raced to a time of 10:53.25, second fastest for Gardner-Webb on the day. Haynes placed 7th overall, the highest of his collegiate career.
Seniors Drew Ford (Wasilla, Alaska) and Trey Crook (Lexington, N.C.) crossed the finish line 9th and 10th overall, finishing at 10:54.41 and 10:54.91 respectively. Senior Justin Loy (Burrington, N.H.) placed 13th (10:58.25) and junior Nick Rogers (Monroe, Ga.) finished in 18th (11:34.21) as GWU's fifth runner.
Gardner-Webb's next scheduled race comes at the Queens Royal Challenge, where the Runnin' Bulldogs will look to continue their momentum. The meet in Charlotte, N.C. is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.
