Nov. 21, 2008
Twin brothers Chris and Matt Lemon will make Flyer history on Monday when they take to the course at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. As was announced last Sunday, the two Flyer sophomore runners earned the program's first-ever berths in the national race.
Chris Lemon, who earned his ticket by way of a third place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships last Saturday, set a school record with a 10K time of 31:31.
Lemon will be joined by twin brother, Matt, who previously held the 10K school record. Matt placed 14th at regionals with a time of 31:57, and ended up having the fourth best time of any runner not heading to the meet with a team. That fourth place standing solidified his spot in the final race of the season.
For the twins, Monday will be the culmination of a record breaking 2008 season. Matt set the school's 8K record earlier this season, while Chris just had a hand in the most recent record to fall. The two have been jockeying with each other for Flyer records ever since they came onto campus last fall, and will now get the opportunity to showcase their abilities on the national stage.
This year's championships will be held in Terra Haute, Ind. on Monday, November 24 on the campus of Indiana State University and will be broadcast live thanks to the partnership of the NCAA, USTFCCCA and CBS College Sports. The telecast will run from 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. EST and will also be webcast live on NCAA.com.
The Flyers competed at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course once already this season, at the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Oct. 18. The Flyers placed three runners in the top 90 at that event, which was an 8K race. This time around the Lemon brothers will have to pace themselves over a 10K course but should have an edge over some of the other competitors due to their familiarity with the course.
At stake for the Flyer competitors will be a chance to be named to the All-American team. This year's format will reward the top 40 finishers in each gender with the title of USTFCCCA All-American.
