SUWANEE, Ga. -- The league's 16 cross country teams are preparing for the SCAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship, which is being hosted by Texas Lutheran University and will be run at the Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, about a 10-minute drive from the TLU campus. Official Championship Website
The races will be held on Saturday, October 28 with the men's 8K race scheduled to start at 9:00 am CT and the women 6K to follow at 10:00 am CT.
The Colorado College men and women are the defending champions of the event, having swept the team titles at the 2022 championships which were contested on the campus of Southwestern University. It was the fourth straight championship for the CC men and second straight for the women.
James Settles, who returns to lead the 25th-ranked Tigers, paced four Colorado College runners who finished in the top 10 a year ago to earn the hotely contested four-point victory (31-35) over runner-up Trinity University. 2022 Men's Meet Results (Team) (Individual)
Settles, who notched his third consecutive All-SCAC finish, crossed the line in 25:23.60 to earn SCAC Runner of the Year honors, continuing the program's dominance at posting the event's top medalist as 13 of the last 16 individual winners have come from Colorado College.
Settles, a senior, was one of seven Colorado College men who took All-SCAC honors last year and head coach Alex Nichols returns six of those harriers as the program seeks its fifth consecutive team title. Sophomore Joe Bullock, who earned SCAC Newcomer of the Year honors at last year's meet, is back as is fellow sophomore Rabbit Barnes, junior Walt Jones and seniors Brett Kitazono and Devlin Swanson.
Other runners to watch on the men's side include graduate student Ben Whittemore, senior Diego Flores and juniors Will Salony and Ryan Tresaugue - all from Trinity University - as well as juniors Brian Armijo and Xander Bailey of Southwestern University and junior Jhancarlos Carpio of University of St. Thomas, who each posted all-SCAC finishes at last year's meet. Salony finished as a runner-up to Settles for medalist honors a year ago.
On the women's side at last year's championship meet, the Colorado College women had a record 12 runners earn all-conference honors, which included a second consecutive individual title for now junior Elliot Singer, as the Tigers posted just the third perfect score in SCAC women’s cross-country history while securing the program's sixth overall title and third in the last four years. 2022 Women's Meet Results (Team) (Individual)
In addition to Singer, who will be attempting to become just the fourth runner in conference history to win three straight individual titles, head coach Alex Nichols returns six other runners who earned all-SCAC honors a year ago for the 13th-ranked Tigers. A quartet of sophomores are back, led by Ella Fullerton who was SCAC Newcomer of the Year last season. Other second-year CC returnees include Alison Mueller-Hickler, Liz White and Brooktie Frogge. Junior Sydney Rankin and senior Jane Mallach are back as all-conference runners from a year ago as is senior Kendall Accetta, who missed last year's meet but was all-SCAC in both 2020-21 and 2021.
Other potential contenders in this year's race include Trinity University's trio of former all-SCAC runners, led by senior Madison Habeck, who finished in 13th place in last year's race and is a three-time all-conference honoree. Also among that group is senior Ellie Catron, who earned all-SCAC honors in 2020-21 and 2021, and graduate student Paige Tangney, who was all-SCAC in 2020-21.
For more information on the 2023 SCAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship, click here for the official website.
