Cullowhee, N.C. – Championship season is in full swing as the Western Carolina men's and women's cross country teams heads to Mill Spring, N.C., for the 2025 Southern Conference Ingles Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Catamounts look to post a second consecutive strong finish at the event, as the men's team took the runner-up spot at the championships last season.
The SoCon championships will take place at the Tryon Equestrian Center (25 International Blvd., Mill Spring, N.C., 28756), with the women's 5K race scheduled for a 10 a.m. start and the men's 8K closing out the day at 10:45 a.m. Parking admission is $10 per vehicle and can be purchased in advance online at SoConTickets.com (please note that there is a $1.80 convenience fee for credit card purchases).
The Catamount men's team posted their season-best performance the last time out at the Upstate Invitational, bringing home a second-place team finish at the event in Spartanburg, S.C. Junior Chase Thurber led the Catamounts with a 24:54.40 finish, which currently stands as the 17th-best time in the conference. The Odessa, Fla. product finished 11th at the championships last season as the second-best Catamount finisher with a time of 25:08.5.
A handful of fresh talent joins Thurber in the WCU scoring five, with freshmen Matthias Peterson and Jaleb Saunders (pictured above) finishing second and third on the team at the Upstate Invitational. Both Catamount rookies would have set the freshman 8K record with their finishes, but Peterson's 25:17.50 time set the benchmark and a top-30 placement.
Furman and ETSU individuals dominate the top of the SoCon's 8K seasonal performance charts with eight Paladins and two Buccaneers among the league leaders. The Paladins have won 12-straight men's SoCon championships.
Junior Katherine Hopkins has paced the women's team for much of the season, with her 5K time of 18:06.50 at the Upstate Invitational ranking seventh in the SoCon. Her classmate Peyton Skoglund (pictured above) and sophomore Braelyn-Shea Wahy also rank inside the SoCon's top-20 performers in the 5k thanks to their showings in Spartanburg, with Skoglund's 18:31.00 ranking 18th and Wahy's 18:35.00 close behind at 19th.
Likewise on the women's side, Furman litters the top 5K performance charts with six of the top 10 top individual top efforts. Chattanooga has a pair of runners among the best seasonal performances, with a Samford runner joining Hopkins to complete the top 10 overall. Matching its men's team, the Paladin women's squad has won 12-straight team titles dating back to 2013.
Saturday's Meet Information:
2025 SoCon Ingles Cross Country Championships | Tryon Equestrian Center
Parking: White Oak Plantation Drive, Tryon, NC 28782
Parking/Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/4s8zwume or SoConTickets.com
Teams (10): Chattanooga, Furman, ETSU, Samford, The Citadel, VMI, UNCG, Mercer, Western Carolina, Wofford
Women's 5K: 10:00 a.m.
Men's 8K: 10:45 a.m.
Live Results Link: https://tinyurl.com/2vnxydyz
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Following the 2025 SoCon Championship, the Catamounts turn their attention to the 2025 Southeast Regionals in Charlottesville, Va. The Virginia-hosted regional event is Nov. 14, with the Catamounts returning to the Panorama Farms Course for the second time this season.
