A school-record three runners named to All-Independent team
ORANGE, Calif. – It has been three years since a Chapman University cross country runner has been named to the All-Independent team and never before have more than two runners been selected to the team in one year. That all changed this week as the Association of Division III Independents announced the 2010 team and three Chapman runners– all underclassmen - were on it.
Freshman Elisabeth Mitchell represented the women's team and was named honorable mention while freshman D.J. Smithers and sophomore Zac Campbell were selected to the men's second team.
Mitchell was the Panthers' top runner this year on the women's side, finishing with the team's top time in four-of-six races. For the men, Smithers also paced the Panthers in four-of-six races, and ran a season-best time of 28:29.1 in the 8-kilometer race at the Biola Invitational while Campbell also had his best time of 29:04.9 at Biola.
The trio becomes the first Chapman runners to be on the All-Independent team since Zachary Mujica was in 2007. The last and only other women to represent Chapman on the team was Michelle Kanda in 2005.
by Chris Watts
Sports Information Assistant