Sam and Josh Patterson Earn All-American Honors at NJCAA National Meet
Brothers Sam and Josh Patterson now have one more thing in common after the Sandhills Community College freshmen earned top 15 finishes at the NJCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday.
Sam Patterson received second team All American recognition after crossing the finish line in ninth place in the 8K race with a time of 28:10.15. Josh finished 14th in 28:47.13 and was an honorable mention All-American selection.
"It's really something special to have that achievement and share it with Sam," Josh Patterson said on the phone from home on Sunday. "That was my strongest race of the season. It was strong competition and I'm very happy with the way I finished."
The Flyers third runner, Austin Greene, took 19th place in the field of 37 runners with a time of 30:08.43. The times for all three Flyers were PR's. First-year Coach Kyndal Gidden's squad did not have the five runners required to post a team score.
"The boys performed," Giddens, a standout runner at UNC Pembroke in college and a 2021 Boston Marathon qualifier said. "All three had great days. I'm super-proud of them for how they trained and that they got to have this experience."
Mineral Area College of Park Hills, Mo. took five of the first 10 places and won the national title for the second year in a row. Joliet Junior College (IL) was the runner-up and Georgia Military finished in third place. Donovan Denslow of Mineral Area was the individual champion with a time of 26:38. 63.
All three Flyers improved their positions throughout the race held at the Lake Municipal Golf Course. In all, six races were run during the day, including NJCAA Division I, II and III men and women.
"I've never been a fast starter," said Sam Patterson who was honored by the NJCAA as the Division III Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week after finishing first at the Region 10 Championship held in Axton, VA on October 31. "I just try to get in a good position. I was able to pick off a guy each mile or so."
Born in St. Louis, Mo., the Pattersons are products of Union Pines High School. Greene is an East Lincoln High School grad. All three plan to continue training for the opportunity to compete in distance events as individuals in some track meets during the spring.
"It was definitely a great experience going out there with a team, with Coach "K" and her dedication," Josh said. "And Associate Athletic Director Ryan Riggan was the glue that held it all together."
Because many colleges did not allow fall sports programs by choice or due to state mandates the number of runners and teams at the national meet were a fraction what they were in previous years.
"I told them that no matter how big the field was you earned the right to be here," Giddens said. "I feel really bad that other teams weren't able to make it."
The Flyers' coach is actively recruiting to rebuild the men's and women's teams and feels the college and the cross country program have a lot to offer.
"The experience of traveling to meets, including regional and national meets is a big deal," she said.
With two more All-Americans, this year's team adds to the strong history of the four year-old cross country program at Sandhills.
Other Flyers earning All-American honors since the program was introduced in 2017 include Daniel Taylor, the national runner-up in 2017 and national champion in 2018 with a time of 26:32.37, and Andrew Bowen and Daniel Hagen, both in 2018. Coach Jef Moody's men's squad finished third at the national meet in 2017 and was the runner-up in 2018.
"I think what the kids were able to do in response to Coach Gidden's training this year was awesome," Riggan said on Monday. "They ran a great race at the regional and ran even stronger at nationals."
C. Bergmann
