Covenant Men Fourth, Women Ninth At Berry Invitational
Saturday, October 16, 2021
In the final tune-up before the USA South Championships in two weeks, the Covenant cross country teams had strong showings at the Berry Invitational on a chilly Saturday morning at the Clara Bowl in Mount Berry.
The men's team placed fourth overall in the 16-team field, while the women were ninth. The men finished ahead of USA South foes Piedmont, Huntingdon, and Maryville.
Micaiah Allison paced the men's squad with his 21st-place finish and 8k time of 27:22.8. Four Scots placed inside the top-35 in the meet, which included 164 runners, as Covenant finished with 123 total points.
Josiah Mellott set a personal record in the 8k with his mark of 27:34.9 to place 25th overall.
Benjamin Jones also established a personal-best time at 27:47.1 that put him 29th. Ben Mellott came in 33rd with a time of 27:54.9, while Ian Sneller rounded out the top five Covenant finishers with his time of 28:30.6 (46th).
In the women's event, S.K. Lipperd had a personal season-best 6k time of 27:22.8 that placed her ninth overall, out of 136 competitors. Lipperd's time led the Scots to a ninth-place finish with 179 points.
Claire Mackes was 27th in the field with a 6k mark of 24:53.4, while Mattie Parker was 54th at 26:11.7. Maggie Henry came in 65th overall with her 6k time of 26:37.1 and Lydia Dorman set a personal record with a time of 26:58.1 (72nd). Matilda Green also had a career-best time of 27:37.0 and placed 86th overall.
Covenant will have a week off before competing at the USA South Championships on Oct. 30 in Rocky Mount, N.C.