Complete Results |   

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - For the ninth straight season, the Western Carolina men’s and women’s cross country programs opened their season at home by hosting the Western Carolina Invitational. The Catamounts captured both the men’s and women’s individual titles while the men won the team championship and the women finished third.

Junior JC Cornett led the men’s effort as he won the 5K race with a time of 15:42.33. The Catamounts finished one-two in the race as freshman Liam Brooks made his collegiate debut by finishing second with a time of 15:44.47. One other Catamount captured a top-ten finish as senior Jamie Bigby crossed the line sixth with a time of 15:57.79.

The women were led by freshman Kaitlyn Lingard who made a splash in her collegiate debut by winning the event with a time of 11:24.79. The women competed on a two mile course. Senior Kaitlyn Shetler was WCU’s only other top-ten finisher as she crossed the line in 11:55.89 which placed her 10th.

The men edged mountain rival UNC Asheville by just one point in the team standings. WCU finished with a total of 43 points while the Bulldogs finished with 44. College of Charleston rounded out the top-three with 65 points.

On the women’s side, College of Charleston took the team title with just 29 points. UNC Asheville edged WCU for second by just two points with 54 while the Catamounts finished with 56.

Junior Tommy Connell crossed the line fourth for the men as he completed the course in 16:27.42 which earned him 16th overall. Rounding out WCU’s top-five was freshman Joel Freeman who came in 18th overall with a time of 16:31.72.

The third place finisher for the Catamount women was sophomore Madison Goode who placed 12th overall with a time of 11:57.82. Sophomore Laney Browder came across next in 14th overall after completing the course in 12:07.81. The final Catamount scorer was freshman Christina Nikolaou who clocked in at 12:17.39 good for 21st overall.

WCU will be back in action one week from today at the Furman Cross Country Classic in Greenville, S.C.