EWING, Va. - Carson Newman Cross Country started the season off right with the men and women both grabbing second place finishes at the LMU Railsplitters Open.
"I'm proud of how our team executed today," said Borden. "This was one of the most challenging courses that I've ever seen but our team handled it well. They went out there and competed…it made us emphasize the importance of staying focused and leaving the foot on the gas."
This marks the second year in a row that both men's and women's teams placed second in the season opener.
On the men's side, the Eagles notched seven top-25 finishes in the 6K race, led by the performance from junior Colten Lee earning a first place finish in 19:40.7. Henry Hunter landed eighth place in 21:15.4, followed by a ninth place finish by Bryson Burkett in 21:40.4.
"He [Lee] ran smart. He opened up on the third lap and really pulled away and had the race won but he finished strong. It will be interesting to watch him the rest of the season," said Borden.
Colten Lee earned first place in the men's 6K race and held a 18-second lead over the second place runner.
The men's team came in second place scoring 46 points behind first place Lincoln Memorial who scored 20 points in the 6K race.
The women locked up the second place slot with five runners finishing within the top-25 in the 4K race. The Eagles were headed up by the performance from sophomore Jenna Pittman, earning second place in a time of 15:59.4. Pittman was followed by 11th place finish Maggie Hope in 17:02.7 and 12th place finish Peyton Couch in 17:15.5.
"Jenna [Pittman] ran an excellent race," Borden said. "She put herself out from the gun and recommitted to push to the second lap. It was a strong showing from her, but she'll continue to get better as the season goes on."
Carson-Newman women's team earned second scoring 55 points coming in behind Lincoln Memorial who finished with a score of 19 in the 4K race.
Five newcomers joined the cross country team this season and Borden was impressed with how they performed on the tough course.
"I am very pleased with how the newcomers performed," said Borden. "Carmela Smock was the number four finisher on the team and she ran a solid race. Henry Hunter was our number two tonight, he came through big for us on the second lap of the race."
Borden looks to use the success from this race to motivate the team going into the bulk of the season.
"This performance is a good indicator of where we stack up against our competition," Borden said. "Getting second on the men's and women's was solid, but it motivates us to do extra and strive to compete with other top teams in the conference."
With the Eagles cross country team off to a solid start, they look ahead to the next meet taking place on Saturday Sep. 21 at the Cherokee Farms Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn.
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