GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the South Atlantic Conference Championship meet on Saturday. The meet will be held at the Clemson Sandhill Research & Education Center in Columbia, South Carolina and hosted by Newberry College.
The men's race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., while the women's race will start at 10:15 a.m. Last year in Pineville, Kentucky, Queens University of Charlotte captured its first SAC Men's Cross Country championship while the Wingate women won for the second time in three years. The Tusculum men placed 11th while the Pioneer women were 10th at last year's championship meet for head coach Cory Pratt.
MEN'S PREVIEW
Junior Jacob Cutshall has been the Pioneers' top finisher in each of their four meets this season, including a second-place finish at the Tusculum Open on Sept. 9. Cutshall ran a season-best time of 26:58.9 at the Queens Cross Country Challenge on Oct. 7, just six seconds off his personal best. Last year, the Jonesborough native was the Pioneers' second finisher as he placed 32nd at the SAC Championship with a time of 27:20.5.
Sophomore J'Quen Johnson has placed second for Tusculum behind Cutshall three times this season, with a fourth-place finish in the Tusculum Open in a time of 17:39.8. Johnson knocked nearly a minute off his previous 8K time this season when he ran a career-best 27:37.1 at Queens. The Gallatin product turned in a 58th place finish at last year's SAC meet with a time of 28:11.7.
Freshman Tommy Veerkamp has enjoyed a solid rookie campaign for the Pioneers, finishing as one of the team's top three runners in every meet. Veerkamp had a ninth-place finish at the Hyder McMahill Invitational on Sept. 3 and followed up with an eighth-place finish at the Tusculum Open. A native of Lebanon, Indiana, Veerkamp is coming off a sub-28 minute performance at Queens two weeks ago.
Freshman Matthew Mayes competed in all four regular-season meets for the Pioneers, turning in a season-best 8K time at Queens of 27:59.2. Sophomore Will Noel has also been a steady finisher for the Pioneers, turning in a career-best time of 29:49.2 at Queens, more than a minute better than his previous-best collegiate time. Last season, Noel was the Pioneers' fifth finisher at the SAC Championship.
Cory Ramsey, the lone senior on the team, has run in three races this fall and posted a season-best time of 30:34.4 in the meet at Queens. Ramsey has twice competed at the SAC Championship meet, earning an 87th-place finish as a freshman and 73rd as a sophomore. Freshman Jeremy Focatero and sophomore Jesse Harrell have also competed for the Pioneers this fall.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
Freshman Emily Stoklosa has enjoyed a successful rookie season for the Pioneers, placing in the top five in each of her first two collegiate meets including a victory at the Tusculum Open on Sept. 9. The Homer Glen, Illinois native ran in the top half of deep fields at the Greater Louisville Classic and the Queens Cross Country Challenge, posting a season-best time of 19:54.3 at Queens.
Sophomore Makenzi Alley also had a solid fall for the Pioneers, earning a 13th-place finish at the Hyder McMahill Invitational on Sept. 3 and a fourth-place result at the Tusculum Open. The best time of the season for the native of Cincinnati was 20:49.1 at Queens on Oct. 7.
Senior Pauline Muiruri completed three of her four races this season, and turned in a season-best time of 21:57.2 at Queens. Muiruri was the Pioneers' top finisher at last year's SAC Championship as she came across 28th in a time of 20:24.0.
Sophomore Deondra Thomas had a 12th-place finish at the Tusculum Open and completed her fastest race of the year with a time of 22:14.1 at Queens. Last year, the Columbia native was 72nd at the SAC Championship with a time of 22:33.1.
Fellow sophomore Mackenzie Newsome ran in three races this fall and finished 7th at the Tusculum Open, with all three of her season times with 25 seconds. A native of Lewisville, North Carolina, Newsome placed 60th at last year's SAC Championships as she crossed the line in 21:46.8.
Senior Ashley Andrukonis showed steady improvement through the fall, parlaying an 11th-place finish in the Tusculum Open into a career-best time of 22:29.3 at Queens. The South Greene High School graduate finished 75th overall at last year's SAC Championship with a time of 22:46.0.
Freshman Brooklyn Smith competed in all four meets for the Pioneers and turned in top-30 performance at the Hyder McMahill and the Tusculum Open, with a best time of 22:40.6 at Queens. Other competitors for the Pioneers include sophomore Lillian Wallace, who ran in three races this fall, and freshman Emma Hicks, who placed in two of Tusculum's four fall meets.
