Charlotte Men Claim Third Team Win This Season at Royals Cross Country Challenge

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Cross Country concluded action at the Royals Cross Country Challenge Friday evening with the Men coming home with their third team victory on the season, while the women finished fifth. Ten Niners across both sides set new personal bests. 

MEN’S RACE (8K) – 1st, 42 Points 

The men finished first overall in the field of 19 with a score of 42 points, with five of six finishers placing within the top 25 in a field of 175. This is the third meet this season that the Charlotte Men have come out on top. Elijah Jones led the pack for the Niners, finishing 5th with a personal best time of 24:23.57 to absolutely destroy his previous PR by over 50 seconds. 

Jones was the first of three Niner men to earn a new personal best on the afternoon, with the other two being Harper Clark (24:46.28, 8th) and Zak Freeland (24:51.30, 12th). Moritz Kleesiek (24:51.82, 13th) and Ian Rouse (25:11.01, 21st) rounded out the scorers for Charlotte. 

WOMEN’S RACE (5K) – 5th, 154 Points

The women finished fifth overall in the field of 18 with a total of 154 points. Freshman Bella Green led the pack for the Niners with a personal best time of 18:03.1 to finish 21st in the field of 164 and demolish her previous personal best by over 15 seconds. Green was one of seven Charlotte women to earn a new personal best. 

Jenna Franklin (18:24.75, 34th), Paige McCaul (18:25.85, 36th), and Ellis Vaughn (18:26.32, 38th) were the next three Niners to cross the line, all earning new personal bests as well, with McCaul and Vaughn shaving well over 20 seconds off their previous best 5K times. 

Alexandria Brigham (18:32.64, 42nd), Keirsten Kohler (18:45.26, 51st), and Ava Walters (18:53.80, 61st) rounded out the point scorers for Charlotte. All three women once again set new personal bests, with Brigham improving her time by 25 seconds, Kohler by 27 seconds, and Walters by 18 seconds. 

UP NEXT

Charlotte will return to action next Friday, Oct. 17, at the Panorama Farms Invitational hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The men will begin racing at 8:45 a.m., while the women will begin at 9:30 a.m.

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