FAIRBURN, Ga.. – Carson-Newman Cross Country earns ninth in the men's 8K race and tenth in the women's 6K race at the Georgia Tech Invitation this Friday, Oct 4 in Fairburn, Ga.
The Eagles took the trip down south for the Georgia Tech Invitational meet this Friday where the team finished ninth in the men's race and tenth in the women's race.
"Saw some solid performances from both sides today," said Brent Borden. "We ran in some tough conditions with the course being muddy from the recent hurricane flooding. There were a lot of Division I schools there making it a competitive field. I was impressed with the grit that the team showed today."
The team made their way to Fairburn, Ga. on Thursday night making this the first overnight trip for the Eagles this season.
"Overnight trips are always a fun experience when you're with the team," said Borden.The majority of the team is well-seasoned with trips like these and this week was no different. I think everybody handled the first true meet away from home that we've had this season."
The 2023 season's trip to the Georgia Tech Invitational saw the Eagles men's team finish second overall with a score of 74 and an average time of 26:33. 2024 saw the men finish with a score of 227 and an average time of 27:53.
"We've seen a lot of progress from the team this year," said Borden. "That's one of the most encouraging things from today's race. We have a lot of runners getting back from injury and I was glad to see them succeed today."
The men's team ended the meet with a score of 227 and were led by a third place performance by Junior Colten Lee who ran the 8K race in a time of 25:34.4. The next closest finish on the men's team was Bryson Burkett placing 63rd in a time of 27:50.58 and 68th place Henry Hunter in a time of 28:00.29.
"Colten ran well from the start of the race," Borden said. "He got with the lead pack and executed the way he needed to. He went out there and competed well given the rough circumstances."
The women's team earned a first place finish in 2023 led by top performances from Katie Smock and Jenna Pittman. The team finished with an average time of 18:56 scoring 34 points. In 2024, Jenna Pittman led the pack of the women's team placing 12th individually and helping the team reach tenth place overall with a score of 281 in a race of 23 schools. Pittman finished with a time of 22:34.60 and an average mile time of 6:03.3.
"Jenna got in the lead pack with the Florida State and Georgia Tech girls and kept up with them," said Borden. "She's wanting to run a bit faster, but with the conditions of the course, she had an excellent performance."
Carson-Newman Cross Country will return to the course Saturday, Oct. 12 at Camp Jordan in Chattanooga, Tenn. for the Nooga at Night meet beginning at 9:05 p.m.
Stay up to date with all things Eagles Cross Country by visiting cneagles.com
