Huntsville, Ala. – Western Carolina cross country wrapped up its second meet of the 2026 season on Friday at the Southern Showcase, with the Catamount men placing 12th and the women finishing 19th in a highly competitive field. WCU's men's squad was the highest-finishing Southern Conference team, while the Catamount women were fourth among the other conference opponents at the large meet.
"I was really excited for the men's team. Finishing as the top SoCon school today was a big focus for us, especially after a huge couple of weeks of training. The women's team did a great job and had some of the fastest openers of their careers. This gives us a great jumping-off spot for the remainder of the season," said WCU head coach Jesse Norman.
Jaleb Saunders led the Catamount men's team with a 42nd overall individual finish in the 8K, posting a time of 25:00.2. Matthias Peterson followed behind in 63rd at 25:15.7, while Eli Clonch was 74th with a time of 25:23.6. Samuel Corso tripped the tape in 122nd overall at 25:52.4, followed by Noah Luke (125th, 25:53.0) to round out WCU's top five scorers.
Additionally, Kadin Nance finished 141st with a 26:02.9, Alexander Ruge finished 147th overall, clocking in at 26:06.0, while Bradley White crossed the line in 168th with a time of 26:21.2.
On the women's side, Katherine Hopkins led the way for Western Carolina in 61st overall, recording a time of 18:02.6 in the 5K. Peyton Skoglund followed in 139th at 18:48.3, while Braelyn Wahy finished 160th in 19:06.8.
Ashlyn Watkins finished 172nd (19:13.0) and Madeline Hladik rounded out the Catamounts' top five with a 178th-place finish in 19:15.0.
The Catamount cross country teams are back in action next week at the Fall Collegiate Cross Country Invitational on Sep. 25. WCU then closes the regular season on Oct. 17, as they head to Spartanburg, S.C., for the Upstate Invitational in the final tune-up for the conference championship. They'll then have a two weeks off from competition before taking on the 2026 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships in Mill Spring, N.C.
