GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the South Atlantic Conference Championship Saturday morning at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The SAC has not hosted a cross country championship race since 2019, when the Tusculum men and women each finished sixth overall out of 12 teams. A total of 13 teams will be competing in both the men's and women's championship races, with the men's 8-kilometer run starting at 9 a.m. and the women's 6-kilometer event underway at 10:30 a.m.
Both Tusculum teams are quite familiar with the McAlpine Creek Park course, having competed in both the Queen City Invite on Sept. 24 and the Royals Challenge on Oct. 8. Tusculum's men finished sixth and the women 13th in fields of more than 30 teams at Queen City.
"The men are healthy, which is always critical entering championship season," said Pioneer head coach Cory Pratt. "This is a deep group of 10, so I'm confident enough of them are going to be feeling right Saturday morning to do something special. This women's team has been a treat to coach. They've consistently raced better each week. I'm expecting a tight pack with a small spread Saturday."
Regardless of finish at the conference meet, all teams will have the chance to participate in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday, Nov. 6.
MEN'S PREVIEW
Senior Alex Perez is expected to be the top contender for the Pioneers, as he was the team's number-one finisher in four of their five events. The Aviles, Spain native took fourth in the Tusculum Open and third at the Senators Invitational, and set a school 8K record at the Queen City Invite with a time of 24:43.0. He ran in the 2019 SAC Championship and finished in 33rd place.
Junior Caleb Archer has run second for the Pioneers four times this season, taking second place at the Senators Invitational and sixth at the Tusculum Open. The Bluff City, Tennessee native ran a season-best time of 26:08.6 at the Royals Challenge.
Sophomore Ray Richardson has emerged as a top runner for the Pioneers in the second half of the season. The Johnson City, Tennessee native won the Senators Invitational and was the Pioneers' second finisher at the Royals Challenge, with a season-best time of 25:51.0.
Junior Antonio Aparicio has previous SAC Championship experience, finishing 82nd at the 2019 meet. The native of Valencia, Spain had a season-best finish of 20th at the Tusculum Open, and ran a career-best time of 26:35 at the Queen City Invitational.
Senior Carson Walls (Gray, Tenn.) owns a sixth-place finish at the Senators Invitational and was 12th at the Tusculum Open. His time of 26:50 at Queen City was a career best. Walls has run at the SAC Championship twice, finishing 56th in 2019 and 74th in 2018.
A total of five freshmen will be competing for the Pioneers at the SAC Championship, led by Bryson Livesay (Jonesborough, Tenn.) who has been one of the Pioneers' top-five finishers in three of his four competitions. Graham Aitken (Raleigh, N.C.) was the Pioneers' fifth runner at the Tusculum Open with a 15th-place finish, and was fifth among Tusculum entries at the Royals Challenge with a top time of 26:58.5.
Another freshman, Gideon Dowling (Jonesborough, Tenn.) was Tusculum's fourth runner at Converse and Walters State and ran a season best of 26:45 at Queen City. Irving Medina (Greeneville, Tenn.) had an 11th-place finish at the Tusculum Open and ran 29:09.8 at the Royals Challenge in his two meets during the fall, while Evan Bruce (Jonesborough, Tenn.) was seventh at the Senators Invitational and was the Pioneers' fourth finisher at Queen City with a time of 26:34.
Tusculum was picked to finish sixth in the SAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Wingate (9th) and Queens (18th) are currently ranked in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II National Coaches Poll, and are joined in the regional rankings by Anderson and Catawba.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
Sophomore Emily Coddington has been the Pioneers' top finisher in three of their four races this season. Coddington was fourth at the Senators Invitational and had a 28th-place finish at the Queen City Invite with a season-best 5K time of 18:32.0. The Acosta, Pennsylvania native ran one 6K race this season and took 43rd overall at the Converse Kick-Off.
Graduate student Javiera Ortiz has been the second finisher for the Pioneers three times this season. In her first year in the program, the native of Llolleo, Chile had a third-place finish at the Senators Invitational and turned in a pair of sub-20 minute 5Ks at McAlpine Creek Park.
Sophomore Judy Chellah (Johnson City, Tenn.) has also run in the top three for the Pioneers this season, taking fifth place at the Senators Invitational and clocking in at 19:27.6 at the Royals Challenge to finish only behind Coddington among the Tusculum entries.
Junior Erin Bruce (Jonesborough, Tenn.) is the lone runner in the Tusculum lineup with previous SAC Championship experience, having placed 51st overall at the 2019 meet. Bruce was sixth overall at the Senators Invitational and had a season-best time of 20:26 in the 5K at the Queen City.
Freshmen Nicole Griffith (Jonesborough, Tenn.) and Celine McNally (Surgoinsville, Tenn.) will also be making their conference championship debuts. Griffith ran in two races during the fall, placing second at the Senators Invitational and crossing the line third among Tusculum runners at the Royals Challenge with a time of 19:35.7. McNally ran in all four meets for the Pioneers, earning eighth place at the Senators Invitational and running 20:23.2 at the Royals Challenge.
The Pioneers, picked sixth in the SAC Preseason Coaches Poll, will look to match their predicted finish in a strong field that includes nationally-ranked Queens (8th), Wingate (11th) and Lenoir-Rhyne (29th) along with regionally-ranked Anderson, Catawba and Lincoln Memorial.
