The Covenant College men's and women's Cross Country teams hosted the Mountainside Stride at the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center. It marked the first home meet for second-year head coach Eli Kaczinski.
In the 8k race the men finished in second place behind Tennessee Wesleyan with 36 points. Josiah Mellott took first place individually, which marked the first win of his career.
The women also took second place with a score of 54 points. This marks the third consecutive meet it has finished runner up.
In the men's race, Mellott was the 8k winner with a time of 26:28.2. This marked a new personal record for him. He beat second place by a staggering 25 second margin. Ethan Saiki finished fifth with a time of 27:18.7. Both the time and finish are personal records for the two-time CCS Rookie of the Week honoree.
Daniel Bowles placed seventh, finishing the 8k in 27:42.3. Bowles has now finished inside the top-10 of all three meets this year for the Scots. Troy Daniel, John Purtill, and Ethan Caswell finished 15th, 17th, and 18th. Each runner set a new personal record for their college career.
Ethan Fox placed 22nd with a time of 29:56.6 while Alex Burns finished right behind him at 23rd and a time of 30:18.7. These times were also personal records for these two student-athletes.
Rounding out the Scots lineup was Will Holland with a time of 32:30.9 and a 28th place finish and Sameul Harrelson at 37:07.3 and a 37th place result.
In the women's race, Jocelyn Gartman, placed sixth to lead the Scots with a time of 24:39.3 in the 6k. Her average mile time was 6:28.1. Lydia Dorman had a season-best result of eighth with a time of 24:48.4. Today's time is two minutes better than the 6k race at Berea.
Rounding out the top 10 was Evangelia Berry, with a 10th place result and a time of 24:56.6. This was a personal record in the 6k for the freshman.
With a 13th place result was Lydia Moore who completed the race in 25:45.3. 13th place is the best result of the season for her. Maggie McGinley took home 17th with a time of 26:18.5. This is the second consecutive race she has finished 17th and she has finished in the top 20 of all three meets this season.
Claire Mellott, Anna Dolan, and Emerson Tillery placed 23rd, 28th, and 44th. Mellott who completed the 6k in 26:37.9 and Dolan who finished in 27:53.3 each had career-best finishes on the leaderboard.
The Scots will travel to Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Oct. 7th for the NCAA Division III Pre-Nationals.