NEWTON, N.C. – Competing in the South Atlantic Conference Championships at Southside Park, the Newberry College women's and men's cross country teams earned finishes of 10th and 11th, respectively.
"Very proud of both teams' efforts," Head Coach
Scott Hutchinson said. "Huge PRs across the board for everyone. We talked about having grit, heart and determination, and they all showed that today."
As Coach Hutchinson alluded to, several Wolves marked personal bests on Saturday, including a new men's program record set by
Kevin Kipkosgei in the 8k race. Kipkosgei's time of 24:56.19 shattered the previous record time of 25:40.00 set by Brandon Downey in 2001.
Alaya Lindquist now owns the second fastest 6k time in the women's record book, as she clocked in at 23:45.62 to lead the pack for the Wolves.
Finishing second and third for the Newberry women were
Grace Jellow and
Josie Langtry, with Jellow one spot ahead of Langtry. Jellow ran a personal best time of 25:04.49, as did Langtry in 25:11.12.
Jellow now holds the sixth fastest 6k time in Newberry women's history and Langtry's is the seventh fastest.
Sage Bowen hit a new personal best with the 10th quickest 6k time in Wolves history, running her race in 25:40.64, and
Ahja Amos was the fifth Wolf to finish at 25:56.24.
The women were only seven points behind Limestone in ninth and 17 points back of eighth-place Tusculum.
"The SAC is now the best cross country conference in the nation, and that is where you want your program to be if you are a competitor," Director of Track and Field/Cross Country
Jimmy Stephens said. "We are chipping away and working our way to the top. I couldn't ask for a better coach and group of athletes to take Newberry Distance forward."
On the men's side, the aforementioned Kipkosgei was the first finisher for the Wolves, followed by freshman
Tyler Shumate. Running the race in 25:19.14, Shumate slotted himself into the No. 2 spot all-time in the men's record book for the 8k.
Finishing third for Newberry was
Wyatt Strickland in 26:29.19, the fifth fastest time in men's program history. Fourth and fifth for the Wolves were
Jonah Wendland and
Drew Benson. Both runners beat their previous 8k bests by a good margin as Wendland ran today's race in 27:00.23 and Benson, 27:10.19.
The Wolves were just a point behind Limestone in 10th, five behind Mars Hill in ninth and 24 behind Tusculum in eighth.
"Extremely proud of this young group and Coach Hutch," Coach Stephens said. "This is just the start for our young distance crew. The future is bright for our group of runners. For the first time in my three-and-a-half years at Newberry, we have a team of true distance runners and they are a family."
Added Coach Hutchinson: "The bottom line is I am proud of everyone's effort. We are getting there as a program, and they competed in the Wolf Nation way today."
