CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tusculum sophomore David Cooper finished ninth in the Men's Open division of the 2012 Foot Locker South Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

Greeneville, Tenn. freshman teammate Lawson Burrow placed 26th on the 5K course at McAlpine Greenway in Charlotte.

Cooper and Burrow, competing as individuals and not representing Tusculum in the national event, both had solid days on the same course where the duo competed for the Pioneers in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in October.

Cooper, a Greeneville native, placed ninth overall in Saturday's race, running a 15:55 personal record at the 5,000-meter distance. Mark Driscoll of Asheville, N.C., won the Men's Open division with a time of 15:01.

Burrow placed 26th in the 97-man field with a time of 16:23. Runners from 16 states and territories competed in the event.

It was a cool morning for the runners on the mostly flat course. Cooper stayed within sight of a top 10 finish as the runners reached the mid way point of the race. He picked up the pace as the field neared the finish and was the first runner from the state of Tennessee across the line.

Four Foot Locker regional races were held on Saturday: the South Regional in Charlotte; the Northeast Regional in Bronx, N.Y.; the Midwest Regional in Kenosha, Wisc.; and the West Regional in Walnut, Calif.

Cooper earned NCAA All-Region honors on the same course to end the 2012 collegiate season, running a 32.42 over 10,000 meters in Charlotte. Cooper won two races for the Pioneers this season, capturing first place honors at the Warren Wilson Invitational and the Maryville Invitational. He recorded a fourth place finish at the South Atlantic Conference Championship to garner All-SAC first team accolades.

Burrow enjoyed a fine rookie campaign, recording three top-10 finishes, including runner-up honors at the Maryville Invitational and a third place finish at the Warren Wilson Invitational.

- TC -