SMRYNA, Del. –
Mark London earned a sacred spot on the 2015 All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) team for the second consecutive season to lead the Coppin State men's cross-country team at the conference championship meet on Saturday morning.
London was Coppin State's highest finisher as he placed 15th overall in a time of 26 minutes, 53.20 seconds. It was his second best eight-kilometer time of the season and the fastest in his career at Delaware State's Outreach Center.
Earning All-MEAC honors again is something that shouldn't be taken lightly as each year is different and nothing is ever guaranteed when competing in athletics. London ran a strong race and his perseverance paid off with a nice reward especially since he thought he missed out on another medal.
"It's a great feeling because I actually thought I finished 16th, which would have been just outside of earning All-MEAC honors," London said. "When I learned that I was 15
th, I was ecstatic and happy. I ran a good time and can't complain. I believe the team ran a great race and we all stayed close together which was our plan."
London's effort helped Coppin State finish fourth overall with 120 points. The Eagles gave a strong showing as they had four runners finish among the top 25 finishers.
Ronaldo Ball was 19th (27:15.70)
Ronaldo Ball was 20th (27:18.80) and
Michael James was 25th (27:39.40).
Fabian Hayles (29:55.50) and
Delroy Davis (31:01.00) also competed for the Eagles. It was Davis' final collegiate cross-country race. The Eagles finished behind Maryland Eastern Shore, North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State.
Coppin State competed well and executed its race strategy to perfection. The Eagles were satisfied with their performance considering they have middle-distance and 400-meter sprinters competing for five miles against schools that have student-athletes that specialize in distance races such as the 5,000-kilometer and 10,000-kilometer.
"We had a pretty good showing today," Coppin State head cross-country coach
Carl Hicks said. "We competed well. The guys stayed in line. If you look at the entire thing in perspective, we have a bunch of guys that are running 400 and 800 meters competing for a championship against guys that are used to running distance races. So for my men to compete at the level that they did today, I take my hats off to them."
