Mill Spring, N.C. – Led by a 15th-place individual finish by Katherine Hopkins and a personal record by Peyton Skoglund, the Western Carolina cross country teams wrapped up their appearance at the 2025 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships, with the women's team taking fourth place and the men finishing seventh.
The fourth-place finish by the Catamount women was their best since 2003, with their 123 total points the lowest total since that season. Hopkins led the team with an 18:16.8 finish in the 5K race, with Skoglund finishing close behind with a PR time of 18:26.8. Skoglund's time moved her up the WCU all-time 5K list as she is now tied for 17th with Kerrie Savery.
The Catamount scoring five was rounded out by Braelyn-Shae Wahy (23rd – 18:42.2), Amaya Hicks (32nd – 19:03.2), and newcomer Madeline Hladik (41st – 19:19.0). The five Catamounts just edged out Samford's scoring five thanks to having a tighter spread, outpacing the fifth-place Bulldogs 123-to-129.
"I'm over the top excited for the women's program and the jump they made this year. They put themselves in the race at the beginning and then fought hard over the last kilometer to secure their finish. I'm really proud of this group rising to the challenge," said Catamount cross country and track and field coach Jesse Norman.
Additionally, Grace Lane (44th – 19:23.7) just finished behind Hladik in the Catamount order, with Riley McKinney (51st – 19:43.0) and Jessica Connole (62nd – 20:13.5) closing out the day for WCU's women's team.
The men's team was led by a pair of freshmen in Matthias Peterson (17th – 25:43.6) and Jaleb Saunders (33rd – 26:20.5). Matthew Womack (34th – 26:24.2), another freshman in Eli Clonch (35th – 26:28.6), and Chase Thurber (43rd – 26:57.4) contributed to WCU's overall score of 157, with the trio of freshmen receiving all-freshman team honors.
"For the men, it was a disappointing finish as a team. We got out good but then couldn't execute the plan in the middle of the race," said Norman, who added that he sees promise in the Catamount freshmen performers. "I was excited about Matthias, Jalen, and Eli making the SoCon All-Freshman team. They're going to give us a good base to build off in the future."
Up Next For The Catamounts:
The Catamount cross country teams now turn their attention to the 2025 Southeast Regionals. The regional meet is scheduled for Nov. 14 in Charlottesville, Va.
