GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's cross country teams will be competing Saturday at the South Atlantic Conference Championship, which will be contested at Southside Park in Newton, North Carolina. The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the women's 6-kilometer race at 10:15 a.m.
MEN'S PREVIEW
The Tusculum men placed ninth at last year's conference meet, and have had two top-five team finishes in four meets this fall.
Leading the Pioneers this season has been freshman Pau Valdepenas (Sant Cugat Sesgarrigues, Spain), who won the Akiah McMillan Invitational with a season-best time of 25:38.0 on Sept. 30. Valdepenas took second place at Walters State on Sept. 9 in 27:13.0, and also ran in the top 40 at the Eye Opener on Sept. 1 (26:00.1) and the Royals Challenge on Oct. 6 (25:39.8).
Fellow freshman Sam Shipp (Arnold, Mo.) has a pair of third-place finishes this season, taking third in 25:49.7 at the Akiah McMillan Invitational and at Walters State with a time of 27:31.0.
Sophomore Jerry Ricker (Kingsport, Tenn.) will look to improve on his 64th-place finish at last year's SAC Championship meet. This season, he took 11th at Walters State and had a career-best time of 27:47.2 at the Akiah McMillan Invitational.
Junior Ryan Drysch (Shorewood, Ill.) has run in three meets this fall, with a best time of 29:24.3 at the Akiah McMillan Invitational. Freshman Simon Ray (Greeneville, Tenn.) had a 15th-place finish at Walters State and was timed in 29:36.9 at the Akiah McMillan Invitional.
Senior Antonio Aparicio (Valencia, Spain) will be competing at the SAC Championship for the fourth time in his career, with a career best finish of 47th at last year's event. His best finish this season was 18th at Walters State, while his time of 28:23.4 at the Royals Challenge was his season best.
Junior Landen Locklear (Kingsport, Tenn.) posted a season-best time of 34:17.4 at the Akiah McMillan Invitational and was 38th overall at Walters State for his best individual finish of the season.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
The Pioneers finished seventh at last year's SAC Championship, and earned a second-place finish at Walters State on Sep. 9 and a ninth-place showing at the Akiah McMillan Invitational on Sept. 30.
Senior Emily Coddington (Acosta, Pa.) has a pair of top-10 finishes this season, including a 5K victory at Walters State in 19:39.0 and a third-place run in the Akiah McMillan Invitational in a career-best time of 22.29.9. Coddington was 17th in the Royals Challenge on Oct. 6, covering 5K in 18:18.3. She placed 29th at last year's SAC Championship and was 28th in 2021.
Sophomore Inmaculada Delgado (Seville, Spain) took fourth at Walters State with a 5K time of 20:24.0, and was eighth in the 6K at the Akiah McMillan Invitational at 23:54.1. Delgado was 58th at last year's SAC Championship.
Senior Judy Chellah (Johnson City, Tenn.) recorded a season-best 17th-place finish at Walters State, and ran her best 5K of the year at the Royals Challenge with a time of 22:42.5. Chellah finished 49th at last year's SAC Championship and took 59th place at the 2021 meet.
Sophomore Victoria Caliendo (Lake Villa, Ill.) ran in all five meets this fall for the Pioneers, placing 20th overall at Walters State and turning in a 66th-place finish at the Akiah McMillan Invitational with a 6K time of 29:36.5. Junior Silvia Bah (Cary, N.C.) had a 31st-place finish at Walters State for her best result of the season.
