Flyers Win Region 10 Men's Cross Country Title - Massachusetts Bound for National Championship on Saturday

The two Lukes went 1-2, helping the Sandhills Community College men's cross country team win the Region 10 Championship in Spartanburg, SC on Saturday.

Luke Tillis and Luke Owen took first and second place in the 8K run at the Milliken Park course. Brian Odom also earned a medal with a third place finish.

Teammates Hayden Lynch and Cristian Sanchez came in fifth and seventh, earning all-region honors as the Flyers finished ahead of Central Carolina CC and Patrick Henry CC in the Division III field. The Division I championship won by Louisburg College was run concurrently.

Coach Tim Nocton's squad leaves for Westfield, MA on Thursday for the NJCAA Division III Championship to be held at Stanley Park on Saturday.

Owen, who home-schooled and lives in Whispering Pines, is the only returnee from last year's team that was the national runner-up. He knocked a minute off his time at last year's Region 10 meet also held at Milliken Park.

"I tried so hard to catch my teammate, but it just wasn't going to happen," he said referring to Tillis before a workout at Sandhills on Monday. "I got to within 17 seconds of him. I wasn't quick enough, but we were feeding off each other big time.

"I was happy where I was though and happy how we did as a team. It felt good to have our entire team make all-region."

Tillis, who is from Williamsburg VA, missed Monday's workout because of an automotive technology class. After leaving the Navy on June 30, he searched for a college where he could both learn a trade and resume his passion for running.

One college coach he contacted indicated that at the age of 25 he was too old to consider, but Tillis said that Jef Moody, an assistant coach of the Flyers this season after serving as head coach the previous two years, was encouraging and welcoming.

"Coach Moody was the only one that would let me walk on to his team," Tillis recalled in an earlier interview. "We're a small team, but we're close-knit because we're at similar levels and are really good training together."

Said Moody of the age factor, "What I told Luke was that you have one advantage over the 18-19-20 year-olds. You have man-strength, so use that to your advantage."

Odom is the seventh product of South View High School to be a member of the team in the three years of the cross country program at Sandhills. He was the leading finisher for the Flyers at their other two fall meets and was leading his team again on Saturday before blisters on both feet slowed him down.

"Brian was disappointed, but he was happy for Luke (Tillis)," Nocton said. "He should be good by Saturday.

"I think this was a big confidence booster for Luke. He's just starting to break the surface of what he can do."

Lynch is a graduate of Queens Grant High School in Charlotte where he earned all-conference honors in cross country and track. Saturday's time was his best in an 8K run.

"I wasn't satisfied with the way I ran in the Great American (earlier meet) and I've put in a lot more work," he said. "We have a smaller team than we had in the past and we were determined to do our best and win it. We ended up tying the score for last year's team that won it."

Sanchez, who is also 25 years-old, joined the Army and spent six years at Fort Bragg after graduating from high school in Tuscon, AZ. He ran cross country there mainly as a means of conditioning for his primary sport, wrestling.

A sophomore, he began his studies at Sandhills as an on-line student. He is now a part of the C-Step program that provides a path for students at designated community colleges to transfer to UNC. After his graduation from UNC, he plans to seek admission into a medical school.

"I ran a lot in the military and enjoyed it," he said earlier this month. "Coach Nocton contacted me first and told me we need good athletes for the cross country team.

"The first event I started I was dying. I feel better and stronger from week to week. Coach Moody knows how to get you to push the envelope to get better."

Also attending Monday's workout were Hannah Canady and Brianna Spencer of the women's team. Canady set a Lady Flyer record in the 5K run a month ago at the Adidas Cross County Challenge, but she and Spencer will not compete in the regional or national meets.

Moody informed the runners they would be making a 10 mile LSD run (Long-Slow-Distance).

"It's better to under-train than over-train," he explained. "If you over-train you are going to race tired. If you under-train you are giving yourself a chance."

Moody will not be making the trip to Massachusetts, but he will be at the college to see the team off. When asked what advice he'll give to them before they depart he indicated he will quote Mahatma Gandhi.

"'Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory'. And have fun doing it," he added.

Team results – 1. Sandhills 18, 2. Central Carolina 45, 3. Patrick Henry 57; SCC individual results: 1. Tillis 31:24, 2. Owen 31:42, 3. Odom 32:27, 5. Lynch 33:44, 7. Sanchez 34:37. 

C. Bergmann