SALISBURY, N.C. - Carson-Newman's men's team finished fifth, and the women's team finished sixth at the 2022 SAC Championship.
"I thought both teams fought great today," head coach Mike Spooner said. "It was great to see individuals like Katie, Imke, and Colten get recognition. Each time one of our own accomplishes either an award or a personal best time, we have each other to thank for the support and pushing to get to those moments as we continue to grow our Carson-Newman Family."
Men's 8K
The Eagles finished fifth in the race with a total score of 142. Carson-Newman finished just 11 points behind Lenoir-Rhyne. Fifth place marks the best finish for the men's team since 2009.
Freshman Colten Lee was the top runner of the day for the Eagles. Lee was the third freshman to finish the race. Lee finished with a time of 26:58.6, landing him in 24th place. Lee earned Freshman all-conference for his performance.
Raymond Brugmans was the next Eagle to cross the line. The Junior finished with an official time of 27:05.8, which was good enough for 27th place. Brugman's performance improved from last year when he finished as the Eagles' top runner in 50th place.
Brent Borden rounded out the top three for the Eagles. Borden had a time of 27:14.7, which was good enough for 29th place.
Trent Lovelace finished 42nd with a time of 28:23.0. Lovelace finished 24 spots higher than he did last year.
Christian Henry finished right behind Lovelace in 43rd place. Henry had an official time of 28:34.9.
Will Kolb finished directly behind Henry for 44th place. Kolb crossed the line with a time of 28:39.6. Last year, Kolb finished in 56th place at the event.
Hunter Miller was the final Eagle to earn points for Carson-Newman. Miller finished 60th with a time of 29:46.5. Miller finished 22 spots higher than he did in last year's event.
Kirby Logan finished 69th with a time of 31:02.7.
Freshman Andrew Thompson finished 74th with a time of 32:06.9.
Benjamin White was the final Eagle to cross the line for the men. White landed in 97th place with a time of 37:35.8.
Wingate won the SAC Championship with a total score of 23 points. The Bulldogs had eight runners finish within the top 20. Catawba finished second, and Anderson rounded out the top three.
Wingate's Soheil Boufrizi took home the first-place honors with a final time of 25:22.6.
"With everyone coming back in our top six today for the men and all of our women coming back, we hope to make another big step forward along with the incoming talent next year," Spooner said.
Women's 6K
Carson-Newman finished sixth with a total of 166 points. The Eagles improved one spot after finishing seventh for three years in a row at the event.
Katie Smock and Imke Van Gog both earned Third Team All-Conference honors.
Junior Katie Smock was the top finisher for the Eagles on the day. Smock finished 19th with a time of 23:42.1. Smock finished 16 places higher and one second faster than her time last year.
Imke Van Gog crossed the line 13 seconds later. Van Gog finished 21st with a time of 23:55.7. Van Gog finished 22 seconds faster in her second appearance at the event.
Freshman Ashley Tuell was the third Eagle to finish. The Johnson City native finished 44th with a time of 26:35.1.
Maggie Hope was next to cross the line. The freshman finished 48th with a time of 26:40.5.
Autumn Brazzell finished 52nd with a final time of 27:02.6.
Karli Yarid was the fifth Eagle to land. Yarid finished with a time of 29:00.7, earning 76th place. Yarid's time was a complete one-minute improvement over last year's performance.
Wingate took home first place with a total score of 34. Anderson finished second, and Catawba rounded out the top three.
Freshman Madison Clay won first place in the race with a time of 21:58.7.
Carson-Newman will close out the season on Nov. 19th when they compete in the Southeast Regionals in Charlotte, N.C.
For more information on the Eagles, visit CNEagles.com, or follow @CN_Eagles on Twitter.
