NEWTON, N.C. – The Carson-Newman men's and women's cross-country team started the 2023 season on the right foot at the SAC Preview on Saturday afternoon, with the men placing 3^rd and the women taking 2^nd.   

"We met the expectations we had going into this meet," interim head coach Whit Lee said. "With this being our first race, this was more about us learning who we are as a team and what things we can focus on as we prepare for the rest of our season."

On the men's side, the Eagles tallied three top-25 finishes in the 8k, highlighted by sophomore Colten Lee finishing in 2^nd. Raymond Brugmans finished 24^th, followed by freshman Tyler Jones, who finished 25^th.

"Colten [Lee] showed well today running in front of the pack the whole race," Lee said. "We challenged him to stay aggressive and mix it up in the front... he had a great finish to pass a conference rival in the last 100 meters."

The second-year runner led the Eagles, but Lee was also pleased with many other contributors. 

"Raymond [Brugmans] was a great leader and competitor for our team today," Lee said. "I also liked the result from Tyler Jones in his college debut."

The Eagles finished 3^rd on the day behind Wingate and Davidson, with an average finish time of 28:32.42.

The women finished with five runners in the top 25 in the 6k, including a top-5 finish from Katie Smock, who came in 5^th, and a top-10 finish from Jenna Pittman, coming in 9^th. Junior Imke Van Gog finished right outside the top 10 at 11^th, and McKenna Spaulding and Peyton Couch followed soon after at 23^rd and 25^th, respectively.

"I was really pleased with Katie [Smock]," Lee said. "Her veteran leadership was significant today... Jenna [Pittman] opened her collegiate debut with a good result, and I was pleased to see Imke [Van Gog] give a great effort despite fighting some respiratory issues the last few weeks."

C-N's women's squad finished the day in 2^nd, with an average 6k time of 24:05.91.

The Eagles performed at a high level without multiple vital pieces, including Brent Borden and Grace Lathrop, recovering from preseason injuries.

"We didn't have our full squad today," Lee said. "But again, our focus was on us, the performance more than the result."

With a solid start to the season, the Eagles look to carry the momentum into next week's UNG Cross-Country Invite in Oakwood, Ga.