August 1, 2011

CSUCougars.com is reliving the top 10 moments of the 2010-11 academic year as the summer nears its end. Be sure to check CSUCougars.com each day as we count down to number one.

Columbus State Sweeps Peach Belt Conference Fall Festival Championships

Evans, GA – The twelfth-ranked Columbus State women's soccer team reclaimed the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Title after defeating North Georgia 4-2 Sunday afternoon at Blanchard Woods Park.  This is the Lady Cougars fourth PBC Tournament Championship in the past five seasons including winning three in a row from 2006-2008.  CSU improves to 19-1-1 on the year earning the PBC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  North Georgia falls to 14-5-1 and will wait to hear if they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

North Georgia came out very aggressive from the start and put a couple shots on the board in the first few minutes of the match, none of which were very threatening.  From there, Columbus State settled down and started to control the flow of the game.  The Lady Cougars had their first three shot attempts blocked before Stephanie Parrish hit a one-timer.  The shot appeared to be heading into the net but it hit off a North Georgia defender and changed direction allowing the Lady Saints goalkeeper to make the save.    

CSU kept connecting passes and finally got on the board 3 ½ minutes later at the 18:21 mark.  Jordan McKenzie was given plenty of space up the left side and served a ball into the box which Stephanie Lowery headed home for her 19th goal of the season.  The goal moved her into the top spot on Columbus State's single-season goals scored list.  The Lady Cougars were able to add a second goal less than two minutes later on its next shot attempt.  Kate Walton found K.C. MacEachern at the top of the box and the senior was able to nail it home for a 2-0 CSU lead.  Jackie Ellis nearly added a third goal before the half, but the shot attempt went over the net.

The second half began much like the first ended with CSU putting the Lady Saints under duress.  Parrish beat a defender down the right wing and served a ball to an open Leslie Mathews in the box which the forward was able to knock in for a commanding 3-0 lead.

North Georgia wouldn't go quietly with their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line.  Lauren Schenk took a shot from about 30-yards out that hit off the crossbar.  The ricochet came back and hit Mary Mancin in the back and bounced into the net, making it a 3-1 contest.
Columbus State wasted absolutely no time answering back 31 seconds later.  Emily Husted got to a loose ball and played it across to the six-yard box area to Ashley Miller who tallied her second goal of the year.  North Georgia's Natalie Douglass closed out the scoring in the contest when she scored off a Casey Smith corner kick.    

Mancin upped her record to 9-1 while making six saves in the match.  Kirsten Ross allowed three goals picking up five saves in 75:27 of play while Jessica English closed out the game between the pipes for North Georgia allowing one goal.  CSU held an 18-15 advantage in shots and the two sides each had four corner kicks apiece.  They also improve their all-time record versus North Georgia to 7-1 and have outscored the Lady Saints 25-3.  In the PBC Tournament, Columbus State is now 13-3-1 capturing their four tourney crowns.  They have reached the PBC Tournament finals five times total, dropping a 2-1 OT decision to Clayton State in just their second season as a program.

Four CSU student-athletes were named to the All-Tournament team including Tournament Most Valuable Player Ashton Ziadie.  Catherine Lovin, Lowery and Walton were also named to the All-Tournament team.  It was Walton's second time in her career receiving the PBC All-Tourney honors.

Columbus State Men’s Cross Country Wins Fifth Straight PBC Championship

The nineteenth ranked Columbus State men's cross country team cruised to their fifth consecutive Peach Belt Conference Championship Saturday morning at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga.  It was the third race of the year the team has won as they finished with 31 points.

UNC Pembroke was the runner-up with 63 points while Clayton State (83 points) Georgia College (97 points) and Augusta State (102 points) rounded out the top five.  Completing the field was Flagler (121 points), University of Montevallo (202 points), Francis Marion (217 points) and Armstrong Atlantic State (261 points).

Individually, it was just another day at the park for Meshack Koyiaki as he set the course record at Blanchard Woods Park with a time of 24:14.  He has won every meet he has competed in this year (five) and is the first person to repeat as the PBC Individual Champion since Joseph Mutai of Kennesaw State did in 2003 and 2004.

Teammate Nicholas Kering was not to far behind finishing second in a time of 24:37.  Pardon Ndhlovu of UNC Pembroke (25:13), Fidelis Mutiso of Clayton State (25:40) and Chris Schroll (25:49) of also of UNCP rounded out the top five.

Columbus State's David Marley (26:12) and Stephen Bowers (26:17) were next to cross the line.  Marley was the 2008 PBC Championship Individual Champion.  Andrew Henderson (26:54) placed 15th in the race and was the final team scorer for CSU.  Nathan Prickett (27:44) and Ian Edwards (27:52) also ran in the race for the Cougars, coming in 24th and 26th place, respectively.

As a result of their finish in the race, Koyiaki, Kering, Marley and Bowers were all First Team All-Conference Selections.  Henderson just missed out on the Second Team as the 8th – 14th place finishers were picked for the second team while the top seven place finishers comprised the first team.

Columbus State Women’s Cross Country Claims Sixth Consecutive Peach Belt Championship

With many people thinking this could be the year Columbus State is knocked off their throne, the women's cross country team showed why they have been the class of the conference.  CSU took home the top two spots in the race and had all five point scorers' finish in the top 10 as they won their sixth straight Peach Belt Conference Championship.  It was the third race of the year the team has won as they finished with 27 points.

Augusta State was the runner-up with 58 points while UNC Pembroke (105 points), Clayton State (115 points) and University of Montevallo (117 points) rounded out the top five.  Completing the field was Georgia College (123 points), Flagler College (154 points), USC Aiken (185 points), Georgia Southwestern (262 points) and Francis Marion (279 points).

Individually, Brittney Skiles, the Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Year, won her third race of the year setting the 6K course record in a time of 23:36.  Teammate Naomi Tanui, last year's PBC Championship Individual winner, finished second nine seconds later in 23:45.  Holly Keeper (24:04) and Claudia Nunez-Lopez (24:06) of Augusta State were the next two to cross the line while CSU's Ashley Arnold (24:49) rounded out the top five.

Columbus State's Caroline Rotich (25:23) and Moneque English (25:24) placed ninth and tenth, respectively for the Lady Cougars to complete the team scoring.  Jamesha Cochran also ran for CSU coming in 53rd place in a time of 29:05.

As a result of their finish in the race, Skiles, Tanui and Arnold were all First Team All-Conference selections while Rotich and English were Second Team selections.