NEWTON, N.C. --- The Tusculum men's and women's cross country teams competed Saturday at the South Atlantic Conference Championships, held at Southside Park.
The Pioneer women finished in seventh place with a team score of 175 points, while the Tusculum men took ninth place with 219 points. A total of 11 schools competed in both the men's and women's events.
Tusculum will compete in two weeks at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional meet, hosted by Wingate on Saturday, Nov. 4.
WOMEN'S RECAP
Tusculum's seventh-place team finish was its best since 2008, and the Pioneers were just 14 points behind fourth-place Catawba in the final team standings.
Sophomore Alissa Furches finished 20th overall with a season-best time of 19:30.42 over the 5-kilometer course to earn honorable mention All-SAC recognition. Sophomore Emily Stoklosa crossed the line in 27th place and set a season-best time at 19:42.21, followed by freshman Addison Aguilar in 36th place in 20:01.34.
Freshman Paige Roberts was Tusculum's fourth finisher as she came home in 53rd place in 20:51.45, with sophomore Brooklyn Smith the team's fifth scorer in 20:59.95, good for 58th place overall. Both Roberts and Smith had season-best times in the race.
Also competing for the Pioneers were freshman Carrigan Bishop, who finished 64th in 21:15.14, with sophomore Makenzi Alley one spot behind in 65th place in 21:22.72. Junior Deondra Thomas was 72nd overall in 22:02.25, followed by junior Mackenzie Newsome in 75th place at 22:15.56 and freshman Angel Quay in 86th place at 23:06.80. Bishop, Thomas and Quay all had their best times of the season in Saturday's race.
Queens won its second straight SAC team championship by placing four runners in the top 10 and seven in the top 20. The Royals tallied 36 points as a team to defeat Anderson (59 points) and Wingate (68) for the team title. The Royals' Hannah Wolkenhauer won the individual championship with a time of 17:13.50, finishing 39 seconds ahead of Darroneshia Lott of Coker.
MEN'S RECAP
Tusculum's top three finishers in the 8-kilometer race were all freshmen, led by Will Cronin who was 29th overall with a time of 26:38.41. Jackson Beason came in 33rd overall with a time of 26:51.68, followed in 46th place by Zac Branham who was clocked in 27:22.97.
Sophomore Mason Snelson was the fourth finisher for the Pioneers, turning in a season-low time of 27:36.26, while junior J'Quen Johnson was 73rd overall and the team's fifth scorer with a time of 28:50.96.
Also competing for Tusculum were freshman Alex Haffcke, who was 82nd overall in 30:00.89, junior Will Noel who ran the course in 30:51.78 and finished 86th, and freshman Isaac Hybarger who placed 92nd with a time of 34:16.22.
Queens had all five of its scorers in the top 10 and seven of its eight competitors in the top 12 to easily win the team championship with 23 points. Wingate was second with 88 points, followed by Anderson with 95 points in third.
Tom Bains of Queens was the individual champion, crossing the line in 24:28.44 to beat Luke Greer of Carson-Newman by 11 seconds. Daniel Wallis of Queens was third, 14 seconds behind Bains.
South Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships
at Southside Park - Newton, N.C.
WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Queens, 36
2. Anderson, 59
3. Wingate, 68
4. Catawba, 161
5. Lincoln Memorial, 171
6. Lenoir-Rhyne, 172
7. Tusculum, 175
8. Carson-Newman, 178
9. Coker, 254
10. Mars Hill, 285
11. Newberry, 295
TUSCULUM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
20. Alissa Furches, 19:30.42
27. Emily Stoklosa, 19:42.21
36. Addison Aguilar, 20:01.34
53. Paige Roberts, 20:51.45
58. Brooklyn Smith, 20:59.95
64. Carrigan Bishop, 21:15.14
65. Makenzi Alley, 21:22.72
72. Deondra Thomas, 22:02.25
75. Mackenzie Newsome, 22:15.56
86. Angel Quay, 23:06.80
MEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Queens, 23
2. Wingate, 88
3. Anderson, 95
4. Lincoln Memorial, 122
5. Lenoir-Rhyne, 135
6. Mars Hill, 151
7. Carson-Newman, 158
8. Catawba, 188
9. Tusculum, 219
10. Coker, 280
11. Newberry, 288
TUSCULUM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
29. Will Cronin, 26:38.41
33. Jackson Beason, 26:51.68
46. Zac Branham, 27:22.97
52. Mason Snelson, 27:36.26
73. J'Quen Johnson, 28:50.96
82. Alex Haffcke, 30:00.89
86. Will Noel, 30:51.78
92. Isaac Hybarger, 34:16.22
