Dalton Lady Roadrunners win SSAC cross country title
For the second straight season, the Dalton State Lady Roadrunners captured the 2020 Southern States Athletic Conference Championship, placing all five runners in the overall top 10 at Oakville Indian Mounds course in Danville, Ala. last Monday morning.
Freshman Riley Jo Ford paced the field, finishing first overall in a time of 19:06. In third place was 2019 SSAC Freshman of the Year Kathryn Vradenburgh (19:31), while former Heritage Lady General Alex Gass finished just outside the top five in sixth place (19:54), giving the Lady
Roadrunners three runners under 20 minutes.
Kay Vradenburgh came home in ninth (20:25), followed by Kate Roberts in 10th (20:30) as every counting time for Dalton State was in the top 10. Ringgold native Kayla Mattox also raced and came home in 14th (21:00), while Rebecca Poe was slotted in 32nd in 22:27.
This is the fourth SSAC title for the Lady Roadrunners. All championships have been back-to-back as the program won titles in 2014 and 2015 to go with their victory last season.
Dalton State will advance to the NAIA National Meet on Friday, April 9, 2021 at Seminole Valley Cross Country Course in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
DSC women’s cross country Coach Dean Thompson was named the SSAC Coach of the Year for the second straight year as awards were announced following the races last Monday.
Ford was named SSAC Freshman of the Year and Runner of the Year after winning the overall race. Ford also added All-conference honors.
Joining her on the All-conference team were Gass, Roberts, Mattox, Kathryn Vradenburgh and Kay Vradenburgh. Mattox and Ford also made the All-freshman team, while Gass and Kay Vradenburgh were among 36 ladies who made the Barnes & Noble College SSAC All-academic team.