WINGATE, N.C.- The Carson-Newman cross country team finished 17th on the women's side and 14th on the men's at the 2019 NCAA Southeast Region Cross Country Championships.
Sophomore Rachel Strayer (Murfreesboro, TN) took home a 6th-place finish out of 181 participants in the women's 6k with a time of 22:20.6.
The top five finishers are guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Sacramento, California on Nov. 23rd. All participants will be announced by the NCAA on Monday and while Strayer didn't finish within the top five, there is still a chance she makes it to Sacramento.
"She was pleased with her performance but obviously a little disappointed," Carson-Newman coach Luke Greer said. "Finishing sixth is very hard, there is still a chance she could make nationals so we'll stay optimistic."
The second-best finisher on the women's side was sophomore Klara Naude (South Africa) who placed 106th at a time of 25:48.7 in her first-ever appearance at the event.
Freshman Angela Dela Cruz (Morristown, TN) placed 124th, crossing the finish line at 26:35.5.
"It was a great experience for them to be able to mix it up with the best of the region," Greer said. "They showed how valuable they are to this team and how valuable they will be in the years to come."
For the men, graduate student Conal McCambridge (United Kingdom) was the front man as he has been all year long for C-N, finishing 35th out of 157 racers at a time of 33:18.2 in the 10k.
"He is a true competitor," Greer said. "In his last cross country race he put in a great performance. Our region is very strong and for him to finish in the top 50 is a testament to how good of an athlete he is."
Freshman Jasper Wilson (Chickamauga, GA) was the second-highest men's finisher for the Eagles at 69th overall in 34:25.6.
"Jasper looked strong throughout the race," Greer said. "He has been our number two the whole season and can use the experiences he's gained this season to push on next year."
Kirby Logan (Andersonville, TN), Hunter Miller (Brooklyn, MI) and Channler Boothe (Lebanon, VA) all took spots in the top-110 as well.
"The men's pack showed their potential, with such a young team to finish as high as we did was very impressive," Greer said. "Everyone has worked incredibly hard this year and we definitely improved on our conference performance which is all I could ask for."
Queens University, the preseason favorite to win the South Atlantic Conference, finished in first place on the women's side as five of their seven participants finished in the top-20.
The same can be said about the Royals on the men's end of things as they took home first as a team with four runners in the top-10.
Be sure to keep up with the C-N cross country team across Carson-Newman's social media platforms and on cneagles.com.
