New Market, Ala. – The Lee University Flames repeated as Gulf South Conference (GSC) Men’s Cross Country Champions and the Lady Flames finished in second Saturday morning at Sharon Johnston Park.
The Flames placed three runners in the top five and accumulated 52 team points to hold off runner-up Alabama-Huntsville, who posted 77 points. West Florida was third (113) and West Alabama placed fourth (119).
“Our men executed perfectly,” said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. “We knew coming in everyone would be looking at our team to make a move.
It’s tough to win back-to-back championships in this conference. We ran confidently and relaxed. Over the last three years our team has shown up consistently in every championship race we have run. As always, I am proud of the clutch performances they pull off.”
Harold Smith finished second (25:13.18) behind defending GSC and NCAA II champion Alfred Chelanga of Shorter University. Chelanga posted a time of 24:54.50. Seth Eagleson crossed the finish line in fourth (25:28.95) and Christian Noble was fifth (25:32.32) out of 84 runners.
Brandon Raleigh was the fourth Flame to finish. His time of 25:58.40 put him in 13th place. Moises Ponce was the final scorer for Lee. He stopped the clock at 26:45.08 to finish 28th.
Lee’s two displacers were Jared Herzog and Thomas Kelton. Herzog was 37th (27:02.38) and Kelton was 41st (27:12.06). Tucker Hindle recorded a mark of 27:46.44 (56th) and Garrett Flores was the final Flame finisher at 29:14.86 (75th).
Smith, Eagleson and Noble were named All-GSC First Team for placing in the top 10. Noble had the fastest time out of all the true freshmen and was named the GSC Freshman of the Year. Brandon Raleigh earned All-GSC Second Team honors for finishing in the top 20. Morgan received the title of GSC Coach of the Year as head coach of the championship team.
Audrey Smith blazed through the 5K course to win the GSC Women’s Cross Country individual championship by nearly 34 seconds. The junior crossed the finish line at 18:11.86 with her nearest competitor, Cecelia David of West Alabama, stopping the clock at 18:45.33. David was the defending women’s champion.
The Lady Flames tallied 62 points, but Union University was one better (61) to earn the team title. West Alabama was third with 106 points and Alabama-Huntsville was fourth at 114.
“This was a tough loss for our women,” said Morgan. “We knew coming in it was going to be very close. We fought very hard the last 200 meters and picked up a lot of places, but came up just short. We will have extra motivation going into regionals.”
Amy Carpenter was the second Lee runner to finish. Carpenter placed ninth with a time of 19:02.17. Blakely Moore was 13th with a mark of 19:12.39.
Charlee Boxall gave Lee four runners in the top 17. The freshman was 17th with a time of 19:18.55. The fifth Lady Flame was Becca Umbarger at 22nd (19:23.95).
Lee’s two displacers were Savannah Ratcliff and Lacey Duvall. Ratcliff finished at 19:41.90 (31st) and Duvall was 39th (19:58.94). Lily Fell recorded a time of 20:04.58 to place 42nd. Logan Hernandez was the final Lady Flame to cross the finish line. Hernandez posted a time of 20:48.65 to finish 60th in the field of 90.
Smith and Carpenter earned spots on the All-GSC First Team by finishing in the top 10, while Moore and Boxall were named All-GSC Second Team.
Up next for Lee will be the NCAA Division II South Region Championship on Nov. 5. The event will be contested on The Abbey Course at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla.