The Atlantic Coast Conference today recognized the following student-athletes as ACC Cross Country Performers of the Week for September 25.
ACC Men’s Co-Performer of the Week – Dylan Jacobs, Notre Dame, So., Orland Park, Ill.
In his collegiate cross country debut, Dylan Jacobs led the Irish to their second straight team victory with a first-place finish at the National Catholic Invitational. A former Footlocker National Champion, Jacobs led the field by nearly 10 seconds with his winning time of 25:08.94 on the five-mile course.
ACC Men’s Co-Performer of the Week – Joe Dragon, Syracuse, Sr., Wantage, N.J.
Competing in a field of more than 180 runners from 21 collegiate squads, Dragon led Syracuse to a team win at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown as the first Orange runner to cross the line with a fourth-place finish. He led all five scorers for Syracuse to top-25 finishes as he rolled over the 8k course in a time of 24:23.5.
ACC Women’s Co-Performer of the Week – Elly Henes, NC State, Sr., Cary, N.C.
After finishing as runner-up at the most recent edition of the adidas XC Challenge in 2017 (weather forced cancelation of last year’s event), Henes earned the first individual cross country win of her career. Running in her hometown, the senior All-American led the field with a 16:46.9 5K time. Henes held second place at the 2K mark and moved her way into first over the back half of the race to key the Wolfpack’s first-place team finish.
ACC Women’s Co-Performer of the Week – Amanda Vestri, Syracuse, Jr., Webster, N.Y.
In her Syracuse debut, Iowa State transfer Amanda Vestri finished second overall with a time of 17:03 in a 22-team field that featured three nationally ranked squads and 195 runners. Vestri’s strong performance led all five Orange scorers into the top-15 as Syracuse cruised to the team win and vaulted 10 spots (from No. 27 to No. 17) in this week’s USTFCCCA Division I rankings.
ACC Women’s Freshman of the Week – Kelsey Chmiel, NC State, Fr., Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Chmiel posted a runner-up performance in her first collegiate meet as she finished behind teammate and All-American Elly Henes at the adidas XC Challenge (16:57). Chmiel’s 5K time was 23 seconds faster than any she has posted thus far in her running career.