September 22, 2007
Greensboro, NC- The stakes were high as the Salem Spirits toed the line at Hagan Stone Park as the Old North State Cross-Country Championships were about to be underway. As the gun went off, the harriers from 13 different North Carolina Colleges/Universities sprinted out of their boxes as the hot sun warmed up the race atmosphere. The 6000 meter course was filled with various terrains including many rolling hills throughout the forest.
Salem College finished as the first NCAA Division III team to claim the State Championships, finishing just 7 points ahead of Guilford College, the team who had edged them out in 2006 for the championship by 7 points. Greensboro College finished third, followed by Peace College and Methodist College.
In the overall standings which included schools from Division I, II, and III, Salem finished 4th overall out of 13 teams. North Carolina Central University won the meet with 38 points, followed by Winston-Salem State University, Saint Augustine University and then Salem College. Finishing behind Salem College was Shaw University, North Carolina A & T, Greensboro College, Barton College, Bluefield State College, Peace College, Methodist College and Louisburg College.
Salem’s Rachel Fichthorn (Jr., Nokesville, VA) finished as the top Division III individual and 3rd overall out of 84 runners. Her time of 25:36 earned her North Carolina D II/ D III First Team All-State honors. Daphne Nichols (Jr., Machiasport, ME) placed 2nd as a Division III harrier and 12th overall, earning her a place on the First Team All-State. Her time of 27:25 for the 6K was an improvement of almost 1 ½ minutes from two weeks ago. Both Fichthorn and Nichols received medals for finishing in the top 3 of the Division III race.
