NEWBERRY, S.C. – Carson-Newman Cross Country returns home after securing eighth place in the men's 8K and sixth place in the women's 6K at the South Atlantic Conference Championships on Saturday.
The Eagles traveled to Newberry, S.C. on Saturday, Oct. 26 for the South Atlantic Conference Championships to round out the 2024 regular season.
"Overall it was a solid trip," said head coach Brent Borden. "The lack of depth can often show at times when it comes to these types of races. I'm proud of how our team executed and we talked about grit, determination, and guts. That was a true cross country course and it's all about going out there and competing. I'm really proud of the team given the rebuilding that we have been doing this year."
In the women's 6K, sophomore runner Jenna Pittman clocked in a 16th place finish in a time of 22:30.6 with an average mile time of 06.02.2 and earned Third Team All-Conference honors. The next closest times were run by Peyton Couch with a time of 24:07.5 (42nd) and Maggie Hope in a time of 24:09.0 (43rd). The women's squad placed 6th overall in the thirteen school race. Wingate earned the top spot with a score of 27 and an average mile time 21:51. Catawba and Lincoln Memorial rounded the top three respectfully.
"Jenna [Pittman} had a great race today," said Borden. "She went out hard from the gun with the lead pack and she stayed there. It was a big jump from last year to this year, earning all-conference and getting 16th was a big step up. We'll see how this meet works into Regionals and into track season. Saw a good race from Peyton Couch and Maggie Hope as well."
The men's 8K race saw Junior Colten Lee put in a 6th place finish and earned First Place All-Conference honors in a time of 24:34.6 with an average mile of 4:56.6. Behind Lee was Bryson Burkett placing 46th with a time of 27:33.7 and Garrett Wilson placing 53rd in 27:58.6. The men's team earned 8th overall with Wingate, Anderson, and Catawba rounding out the top-3 schools overall.
"It was a phenomenal race for Colten Lee," Borden said. "Since knowing him as a teammate and now as an athlete that I get to coach, he has progressed rapidly. He's grown as an individual and as a person and he has the 'It Factor.' I gave him the message that he belongs with the top of the pack and he needs to go out there and execute and he went out there and showed that today."
After returning home from the SAC Championships, the Eagles get a week off to prepare for the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championships at the Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday, Nov. 9th with aa start time of 10:00 a.m. .
"We continue to take this performance as it is and we grow from it," said Borden. "Obviously it was a good day for some and a challenge for others.But we grow from this experience and get stronger and get better. We want to go to Regionals healthy and ready to go and compete and we will see a lot of the same competitors that we faced at the conference. Going forward, we are excited to begin track season and get back to consistent training."
Carson-Newman got back in action at the Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday, Nov. 9th with a start time of 10:00 a.m.
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