JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In the final event of the 2024 season, Carson-Newman cross country makes the trip to the Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C. for the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship this Saturday, Nov. 9 set to kick off at 10:00 a.m.
"We're looking forward to ending the season on a really strong note," said head coach Brent Borden. "Coming off of good performances at conference a week ago, we'll face similar competition."
The Eagles wrapped up SAC competition on Saturday, Oct. 26 where 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.
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.
"This week we're looking at gauging where we need to be and beating out some of those teams that narrowly got us at conference," said Borden. "On the women's side we're looking to finish ahead of Lenoir-Rhyne, and the men's team to beat out Emory & Henry as well as Mars Hill. We want to take that jump forward to be one of the more competitive teams in the region next year."
After the SAC Championship meet, Carson-Newman had the week off in preparation for the Southeast Regional meet this Saturday.
"Last week was our last big week of training," Borden said. "We're dropping the volume and intensity but it's a big effort getting ready for Regionals. This week is about having everybody feel fresh and ready to go. The hay is in the barn as they say, so we're looking at peaking in time for Regionals."
The men's squad will compete in a 10K race while the women's team takes on an 8K race.
Taking the success the Eagles gained from their performances in the SAC Championship race, Borden wants to see the team take that momentum into the final meet of the season.
"What I really liked from conference was that our scoring margin was a little narrower, so we had our two, three, four runners closer together," said Borden. "We want to keep them even closer at Regionals. Especially those four and five spots on both sides which will make a huge difference placement wise."
The end of the season coming to a close and Brent Borden's first season has head cross country coach, Borden reflects on the experience up to this point.
"I've enjoyed it a lot and I felt the team has responded well to my instructions and my coaching early on," Borden said. "Being a former athlete at C-N and being teammates with some of the runners on the team now and them seeing my personal competitiveness, I think that helped them trust me a little bit more when it comes to coaching. Everyone has been very bought-in to the program this year, especially having a full-time coach has made a tremendous difference for the distance program. We're going to recruit and keep building the program by bringing in the right people. I'm pleased with how this first season has gone."
Despite being the final meet of the season, there is a possibility that some of the Eagles runners could secure a spot at the NCAA Division II Nationals Cross Country Championship meet in Sacramento, Calf. on Nov. 23rd.
On the men's side, junior Colten Lee is eyeing a top spot in the Regionals race and looking to earn a trip to the West Coast.
"Colten [Lee] has a very legitimate shot at a Nationals qualification," Borden stated. "He is more confident than I've ever seen him going into this meet. If he has the performance that he did at the SAC Championships, then we are looking at an individual qualification for Nationals."
For the women's runners, sophomore Jenna Pittman is hoping for an All-Region performance and an outside shot of locking up a trip to Sacramento.
"Jenna [Pittman] is capable of an All-Region performance," said Borden. "If she has a similar race like she did at conference, she is right at that level as well."
The Eagles travel to the Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C. this Saturday, Nov. 9 beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Set up to date with all things Carson-Newman cross country by visiting cneagles.com.
