NEWTON, N.C. – The Carson-Newman men's and women's cross-country teams returned to Southside Park for the SAC Championships on Saturday, as the men and women finished 6^th, solidifying themselves in the top half of the conference.

In the 6k, Imke Van Gog was the first Eagle to cross the finish line in 17^th place at 21:34.40. Katie Smock finished shortly after in 20^th at 21:40.04. With the top-20 finishes, Van Gog and Smock both earned all-conference honors. Jenna Pittman came in three spots later in 23^rd at 21:54.95, further showing the Eagles' emphasis on running in packs continuing to pay off. 

"We continue to have our clusters of three and three," interim head coach Whit Lee said. "I saw a lot of fight and focus from our women today."

In the second pack of finishers, McKenna Spaulding came in 41^st at 22:55.94. Peyton Couch and Maggie Hope finished in short order in 47^th and 48^th, with Couch coming in at 23:16.90 and Hope at 23:22.25.

Nicole Griffith came in 73^rd at 23:24.52, and Karli Yard finished at 26:27.88 to round out the Eagles finishers. 

On the men's side, in the 8k, Colten Lee continued an impressive sophomore campaign with a 9th-place finish at 23:25.62. With the top-10 finish, Lee secured the Eagles' first all-conference selection since 2019.  

Brent Borden was the 2^nd Eagle to finish, coming in 39^th at 25:04.69. Raymond Brugmans shortly followed in 46^th at 25:23.06. 

Bryson Burkett and Will Kolb followed, finishing in 59^th and 61^st. Multiple Eagles followed shortly after, with Cooper Carr in 67^th, Trent Lovelace in 68^th, and Andrew Thompson in 69^th. Garrett Wilson rounded out the Eagles in 80^th.

After a solid finish on both sides, the Eagles will shift their focus to the NCAA DII South Regional in Oakwood, Georgia, on November 4^th.