The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s and women’s cross country teams claimed both titles behind top place running from the Mocs’ Nathan Wanuch (Mississauga, Ontario) and Lady Mocs’ Amanda Sumner (Bristol, Conn.).
Sumner made it a sweep this season by outpacing the opponents for the second time at home after winning the PowerAde Invitational earlier this year. She had some strong competition this year from Kennesaw State’s Lauren Scott who finished second.
Sumner ran the course in a time of 11:25.85 with Scott right beind at 11:27.97 over the two mile course.
Chattanooga freshman Teghan Henderson (Pickering, Ontario) was the second UTC runner across the line placing fourth with a time of 11:33.97, just half a second behind Middle Tennessee’s Autumn Gipson. Sophomore Keeley Stewart (Winchester, Tenn.) was third for the Lady Mocs placing sixth overall with a time of 11:44.38 followed immediately by senior Kathryn Stuart (Brentwood, Tenn.) at 11:48.23. Morgan Buchanan (Johnson City, Tenn.) was the fifth UTC runner across the line placing 21st with a time of 12:29.60.
Freshman Helenka Kis (Columbia, Tenn.) finished with a time of 13:11.17 and junior Gabby Cader (Cleveland, Tenn.) crossed the line with a time of 13:30.81
In the men’s race, Wanuch won his second straight home meet outpacing the pack with a time of 15:17.68, nearly 10 full seconds ahead of Middle Tennessee’s Robinson Simatei’s time of 15:27.39. Bryan College’s Anthony Simpson and Conner Hatfield placed third and fifth respectively with MTSU’s Alden Dixon placing sixth.
Chattanooga senior Lucas Cotter (Collierville, Tenn.) returned to the course Saturday in his first meet this season after suffering a foot injury in last year’s outdoor track season. He placed seventh for the Mocs with a time of 15:48.33 followed closely by teammate Trevor Janssen (Jordan Station, Ontario) with a time of 15:48.70.
Freshman Pual Stuart (Brentwood, Tenn.) crossed the finish line fourth for UTC with a time of 15:51.79 and sophomore Drew Austell (Memphis, Tenn.) was the fifth UTC runner in at 15:59.75 over the 5000 meter course. Sophomore John Gilpin (Nashville, Tenn.) finished 20th overall for the Mocs with a time of 16:17.35.
The Running Mocs will take the next weekend off in preparation for the upcoming Southern Conference Championships in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Saturday October 27 at the Laurel Hill Plantation. The women’s 5K race will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the men’s 8K at 10:45 a.m.