NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Bridgewater Eagles men's cross country team placed five runners in the top 25 as the Eagles booked a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships after earning the team championship on Saturday at the NCAA South/Southeast Region Championships at Lee Hall Mansion.
Bridgewater turned in a team total of 74 points to top Emory by 17 points and earn the program's first region championship.
Junior Luke Sohl was Bridgewater's top finisher as the Burke, Va. native crossed the finish line in fourth place with a time of 25:10.25. Sohl earned All-Region honors for the third straight year, while his fourth place finish marks his best individual finish at the regional meet. Last season, Sohl qualified as an individual for the Division III Championships, and will be returning to the meet for the second year in a row.
Following Sohl, senior Troy Jackson was impressive for the Eagles as the squad's number two scorer. Jackson finished in 18th place overall, crossing the line in a time of 25:43.44. Jackson's 18th-place effort earned the Midlothian, Va. native All-Region honors for the first time in his career.
Junior Keith Thomas was Bridgewater's number three scorer, crossing the line close behind Jackson in 15th. Thomas wrapped up the day with a time of 25:43.48 to take home All-Region accolades for the first time in his career.
Bridgewater's fourth score came from the efforts of junior Tim Miller. Miller crossed the finish line in 18th place with a time of 25:54.22. Miller earned All-Region honors for the third straight year after posting his best finish ever at the regional meet.
Sophomore Matt Denlinger rounded out Bridgewater's five-man scoring group with a 23rd-place performance. Denlinger crossed the line in a time of 26:00.21 to earn All-Region honors for the first time in his career.
Bridgewater had two other performers in action on the day as senior Abe Rittenhouse and sophomore Nevin Heckman also competed. Rittenhouse finished in 49th place in a time of 26:42.06, while Heckman was close behind in 50th with a time of 26:43.24.
The Eagles move on to the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships for the second time in program history following the win. Bridgewater also qualified a team for the national meet in 1971 after capping off a three-year run of Virginia Little Eight Conference Championship victories.
Centre's John Kieffer took home the individual championship for the third consecutive year after finishing with a time of 24:32.82 to best Guilford's Chad Norton by nearly nine seconds for the individual crown.
Emory took home the other automatic qualifying position, while Centre rounded out the top three teams.
Bridgewater is back in action on Saturday when it travels to Hanover College to compete in the 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships. Start time in Saturday's men's race is set for 12 p.m.
