CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern's Zach and Jeff Wedding were the first two Bucs to cross the finish line, placing third and seventh, respectively, and four total blue and gold runners were among the Top 10 at the season-opening CSU Buccaneer XC Invitational Friday morning at the CSU Cross Country Course. The strong front pack enabled the Bucs to place second in the team standings, just missing out on first place following the 6K race.

TWINS LEAD THE WAY
The two Wedding brothers, Zach and Jeff, were the first two Buccaneers to clock times, as they ran a 19:16.6 (average mile of 5:10.2) and 19:57.3 (5:21.1), respectively. The pair competed during the track seasons a year ago but did not compete in cross country in their first fall at Charleston Southern and contributed three and five points to the team score.

PILING ON POINTS IN THE TOP 10
Joining the duo in the Top 10 were Evan Crawford and Garrett Ricardo. Crawford placed eighth with a time of 19:59.3 (5:21.7 average mile), while Ricardo was 10^th with a time of 20:09.5 (5:24.4). Their points were six and seven, respectively.

MAX NETS FINAL SCORE
The last runner to count to the team total was Max Blader, who placed 16^th with a time of 20:51.4 (5:35.6) to score 11 points.

CLOSE TEAM RESULTS
The 32 points amassed by Charleston Southern fell just shy of the 30 by first-place The Citadel. The Bulldogs helped their cause by earning the top-two positions in the race.

UP NEXT
The Buccaneers return to action in two weeks, Sept. 16, in Cary, North Carolina, for the North Carolina State-hosted adidas XC Challenge.

TEAM RESULTS
1. The Citadel, 30 points
2. Charleston Southern, 32
3. College of Charleston, 65
4. Newberry, 105
5. Allen, 132

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN RESULTS
3. Zach Wedding, 19:16.6 (3 points)
7. Jeff Wedding, 19:57.3 (5)
8. Evan Crawford, 19:59.3 (6)
10. Garrett Ricardo, 20:09.5 (7)
16. Max Blader, 20:51.4 (11)

TOP-10 RESULTS
1. Sam Sharnas, The Citadel, 18:58.1
2. Owen Sharnas, The Citadel, 19:13.6
3. Zach Wedding, Charleston Southern, 19:16.6
4. Caleb Kenyon, Unattached, 19:36.2
5. Jackson Wedge, College of Charleston, 19:46.6
6. Jack McGahey, Unattached, 19:50.1
7. Jeff Wedding, Charleston Southern, 19:57.3
8. Evan Crawford, Charleston Southern, 19:59.3
9. Mason Raasch, Unattached, 20:04.2
10. Garrett Ricardo, Charleston Southern, 20:09.5