FMU signs Conway cross country runner

Francis Marion University cross country coach Mark Bluman has announced the signing of Sierra Young of Conway to a national letter of intent to attend FMU and run for the Patriot women this fall.
Young, 5-0, is a product of Conway and Loris high schools. She ran for three years at Loris before graduating from Conway this past spring.

For the Lions, she competed in both the 2006 and 2007 AA-A state meets, posting identical 25:29 times over the 5,000-meter course.

“The recruitment of Young is a testament to the program we have at FMU,” said Bluman. “As a freshman, she attended Loris High School and was a teammate of current FMU runners Kim Richardson and Holly Todd. Obviously she has noticed the success and fun that they are having at Francis Marion and she wanted to be a part of that.

“Young is a second generation runner as her father is also a distance runner. As a daughter of runner, she comes in with a great level of maturity. This maturity will contribute to her success here at FMU. I look forward to working with her. She comes to Florence well prepared to handle the demands of competing at the next level.”

Francis Marion loses only one senior from its 2008 women’s squad that placed ninth at the Peach Belt Conference Championship Meet and 20th at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Meet.

FMU signs Aiken cross country runner

Francis Marion University cross country coach Mark Bluman has announced the signing of Justin Albertson of Aiken to a national letter of intent to attend FMU and run for the Patriot men this fall.

Albertson, 5-7, is a product of South Aiken High School, where he ran under the direction of coaches Russ Busbee and Bill Griswould.

A three-time All-Region cross country runner, he placed 24th at the 2008 AAA state cross country championship meet and eighth at the 2007 AAAA state meet. South Aiken was sixth in the team standings at the 2008 meet. He owns a personal-best time for 5,000-meters of 16:35.

On the track, he scored in both the 4x400-meter relay and the 4x800-meter relay at the 2009 AAA state meet as South Aiken tied for 13th in the team standings. He also competes in the 800-meters, where he has a personal-best time of 2:02.

“I really look forward to working with Justin this fall,” said Bluman. “He will be well prepared to handle the demands of competing at the next level. In recruiting Justin, it would always come back to his passion for the sport. Coach Busbee couldn't stress enough how much this young man loves to run and loves to compete. Every successful person in life has to have a passion for their trade.

“Justin comes from a great high school program as witnessed by South Aiken’s continued success in both track and cross country. Coach Busbee not only prepares his cross country runners to succeed at the high school level, but at the college level as well. Justin will succeed here.”
Francis Marion loses three seniors from its 2008 men’s squad that placed fifth at the Peach Belt Conference Championship Meet and recorded top five showings in each of its regular-season meets last fall.

Coker Releases 2009 Cross Country Schedule

by Christian Stryker, SID Coker College
6/17/2009

Hartsville, S.C. - The Coker College Athletic Department released the 2009 schedule for the men's and women's cross country teams this week.

The Cobras are looking to have a successful season, in Coach Keith Solverson's first full year. Solverson joined the Cobras after their first meet of the season last year. Coach Solverson and the Cobras are looking to return to the top of the Conference Carolinas standings this season.

The road to the top will not be easy for Coach Solverson and the Cobra runners; they will compete in six meets throughout the southeast. They will open their 2009 season on August 28, when they travel to Columbia, S.C. for the Gamecock Invitational; a meet they have historically done well at, with the women winning the event in 2007 and placing third in 2008, while the men placed second in 2007.

After the Gamecock Invitational the cross country teams will head to North Carolina for a pair of meets; the UNC-Pembroke Invitational on September 5 and the NCAA Southeast Pre-Region Meet at Wingate University on September 12. Then the Cobras will have nearly a month off before competing in the South Carolina Intercollegiate State Cross Country Championships on October 10, followed by the Conference Carolinas Championships on October 23.

To finish out their season the Cobra runners will compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at Wingate on November 7 and hopefully they will qualify to advance to the NCAA National Championships on November 21 in Evansville, Indiana.

Coach Solverson has high expectations for the 2009 season with the return of several runners from last season; including three runners on the men's team and seven on the women's team that include All-Conference performers Kendyl Seawright and Michael Murphy.