The five races this year included about 1,600 runners from 60 schools. (source: greenvilleonline.com)
Stephanie Buffo, a freshman at Dorman High School captured the title at The Eye Opener and set a new high school course record of 19:18.97 over the 5k distance. Current Gardner-Webb Bulldog Michele Milner (Aiken Class of 2003) held the old record of 19:20 set at the start of the 2002 season. Milner moves into the number two spot on the all time top twenty list at the Milliken course. Wren's Sunday Ford finished second in 19:21.71. Both Buffo and Ford pushed each other from the start of the race. Carolina Day School (N.C.) finished first as a team. The first South Carolina high school finishing was Spartanburg High (second place, 136 points). Daniel came in third as a team with 147 points.
The Furman University women captured the team title with a score of 16, taking the top four positions. Kate Prichard (Mars Hill College (N.C.)), a former Daniel Lion, ran a time of 19:57.68 to separate the Paladins number four and five runners. Prichard moved in on the Paladins in the last mile of the race. Mars Hill finished second in the event with 60 team points. Presbyterian College rounded out the top three female teams.
The Eye Opener kicked off its 20th year in existence on Saturday at the Milliken Plant in Spartanburg with the women's collegiate 5k. The first Eye Opener took place in 1983 at The South Carolina School for The Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg. The event moved to Milliken in 2000 and has attracted high school and collegiate runners from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Cool weather brought record breaking times in Spartanburg on Saturday. The days' events consisted of a collegiate women's 5k, a men's collegiate 8k, a varsity girl's 5k, a junior varsity boy's 5k and the day ended with the varsity boys 5k.