UNCG Men’s Cross Country Takes 3rd at SoCon Championships, Best Mark in Over 10 Years
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men’s cross country team finished third overall at The 2024 Southern Conference (SoCon) Championships on Saturday at Furman Golf Course.
The Spartans’ third-place finish is the best mark since the 2012* season when UNCG was crowned champion. This is the fifth* time in program history that UNCG has finished third or better.
Furman earned its 12th-straight title with 15 points. Western Carolina was the runner-up with 94 points, while the Spartans totaled 108 points, good for third.
Senior Colin Keck led the charge for the Blue & Gold, finishing 12th out of 80 competitors, for the best SoCon Championship finish in his career. He clocked in a time of 25:10.5 in the eight-kilometer race and earned his first-career All-Conference second team award. This is the third-straight year and seventh time in eight years that UNCG has had at least one Spartan make an All-Conference team.
Juniors Andrew Hamilton and Luke Ward were the next Spartans across the finish line, placing 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Hamilton ran the race in 25:46.7, while Ward clocked in a time of 25:50.4. Both marks were career-bests for the juniors.
The Spartans had another duo who finished back-to-back, including freshman Logan Ruffner and sophomore Tyler Niloff, taking 29th and 30th place, respectively. Ruffner clocked in a time of 26:04.9 and Niloff finished the race in 26:06.9. Ruffner earned a spot on the All-Freshman team and is the first Spartan to earn the honor since 2018 when UNCG had two placed on the team.
Junior Evan Pena placed 37th overall with a time of 26:30.6 and senior Ethan Long rounded out the team points, finishing 45th with a time of 26:54.8.
Sophomore Khalid Abdullahi (50th place) and freshman Pierson Guerrant (51st place) rounded out the Spartan runners.
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The 2024 NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships will follow on Friday, Nov. 15 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at Winthrop Farm.
NOTE: The 2011 SoCon Championship was later vacated.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro
Sosa Earns Top-25 Mark, UNCG Women’s Cross Country 7th at SoCon Championships
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women’s cross country team finished seventh overall at The 2024 Southern Conference (SoCon) Championships on Saturday at Furman Golf Course.
Furman earned its 12th-straight title with 19 points. Samford was the runner-up with 50 points, while Chattanooga rounded out the top three teams with 81 points. UNCG and Western Carolina totaled 202 points, tying for sixth place, but the Catamounts won the tie breaker to finish sixth and give the Spartans seventh.
Junior Vicky Sosa led the Spartans with her 22nd-place finish, for a career-best place at the Championships. Sosa clocked in a time of 17:59.1, breaking 18 minutes in the five-kilometer race for the first time in her collegiate career.
Senior Camille Carlson and sophomore Tenley Douglass finished in 41st and 42nd places, respectively. Carlson ran the race in 18:57.5, while Tenley finished it in 18:59.6. Tenley bested her mark from last year’s championship.
In her first SoCon Championship, Lillian Douglass clocked in a time of 19:14.0 and took home 55th out of 84 competitors. Classmate Dahlia Lind earned 63rd-place overall with her time of 19:48.3.
Seniors Emma Berrier (66th place) and Bella Manfre (73rd place) rounded out the Spartans points towards the team finish.
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Click here for your one-stop shop for all of your official UNCG merchandise! From apparel to accessories, there is something for everyone!
UP NEXT
The 2024 NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships will follow on Friday, Nov. 15 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at Winthrop Farm.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro