Appalachian State wins first-ever Sun Belt men’s cross country title on home course

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Boone, N.C. – After three consecutive top-four finishes, the Appalachian State men’s cross country team finally broke through with its first-ever Sun Belt Conference men’s cross country championship on Saturday on its home course of State Farm Fields-Kennedy Trails in Boone, N.C.

The Mountaineers won a narrow contest by totaling 70 team points, just ahead of second-place UTA (73 points) and third-place Texas State (75 points). The Mountaineers placed all of their five scores inside the Top 21 to secure the win.

Junior Evan Georges paced the host Mountaineers with a fifth-place finish in 25:18.8 on the 8K course, followed by freshman Gable Dershem in eighth place (25:24.3). Freshman Ian Foley finished 16th in 25:51.5 before junior Colin Loy and freshman Michael Flanagan finished less than a second apart in 20th and 21st respectively to seal the victory.

Coastal Carolina freshman Nadeel Wildschutt swept the individual awards after he finished first in 24:44.3.

Appalachian State head coach Michael Curcio claimed the Coach of the Year award after leading the Mountaineers to the win. Since joining the league in 2014, Curcio’s teams had finished second (twice) and fourth last year at previous men’s championships prior to this year’s title.

The five-point difference made it the closest finish between first and third in the history of the Sun Belt Men’s Cross Country Championship.

First Team All-Sun Belt
Nadeel Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina)
Justin Domangue (UTA)
Beau Robinson (Louisiana)
Isaac Lalang (Little Rock)
Evan Georges (Appalachian State)

Second Team All-Sun Belt
Joel Duren (UTA)
Joseph Meade (Texas State)
Gable Dershem (Appalachian State)
Hutson Baumann (Coastal Carolina)
Logan Pittdman (Texas State)

Third Team All-Sun Belt
Brady Steele (UTA)
Warno Potgeiter (South Alabama)
Migael Heine Strydom (South Alabama)
Noe Belmares (Texas State)
Jonathan Kimutai (Louisiana)

Most Outstanding Performer
Nadeel Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina)

Freshman of the Year
Nadeel Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina)

Newcomer of the Year
Nadeel Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina)

Coach of the Year
Michael Curcio (Appalachian State)