Oct. 21, 2006

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Senior Michael Padilla (Pensacola, Fla./Pine Forest HS) finished second as one of four Argonauts in the top 20 as West Florida earned a second place finish at the GSC Championships Saturday morning at Sharon Johnston Park. It was West Florida's fifth second place finish in the last six years. Harding won their seventh consecutive GSC title.

"I was very pleased with the way the men ran," said head coach Matt Dobson. "We went through some ups and downs during the season, but they put it together today. They had a team mentality and everyone ran as a team."

Padilla crossed the finish line of the 8K race at 25:11, just three seconds behind individual winner Artur Kern of Harding. Padilla became the third Argonaut to earn four All-GSC honors, including three first team accolades. His time ranked as the fourth-fastest 8K time in West Florida history.

Sophomore Jordan Theuerkauf (Wausau, Wisc./DCE) earned his first All-GSC selection by finishing seventh with a time of 26:09. Brian Gowin (Pensacola, Fla./Pine Forest HS) made it three All-GSC First Team selections for the Argonauts with a ninth place finish time of 26:33. It was Gowin's first All-GSC selection. Eric Mayes (Pensacola, Fla./South Florida) rounded out the All-GSC selections with a second team honor by finishing in 17th place with a time of 27:20.

Also running for West Florida was Craig Henry (Mary Esther, Fla./Fort Walton Beach HS), who placed 24th with a time of 27:48. Senior Justin Dickieson (Crawfordville, Fla./Godby HS) crossed the finish line at 28:13 for a 32nd place finish, while freshman Martin Vaughn (Lawrenceville, Ga./Mill Creek HS) rounded out the Argonaut contingent with a 36th place finish with a time a 28:36.

West Florida will now prepare for the NCAA Division II South Regional Championships in Memphis, Tenn. on Nov. 4. The top two teams from the regions advance to nationals, which will be held at the Escambia County Equestrian Center in Pensacola on Nov. 18.