Three Mocs Named All-Conference at SoCon Championships

MILL SPRINGS, N.C. --- The Chattanooga women took third Saturday morning at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships held at the Tryon Equestrian Center while the men finished fourth. Maddie Wheatcroft earned All-Conference First Team honors while Leah Boyd Mitchell and Jack Martin were both named to the Second Team.

Wheatcroft placed fourth overall with a time of 17:26.8 on the 5-kilometer course to earn First Team honors. Boyd Mitchell was 13^th overall with a time of 18:01.9 to earn a spot on the Second Team. Freshmen Liv Gould (18:29.5) and Bella King (18:36.4) were the next two runners to finish for Chattanooga with Gould placing 19^th and King two spots behind. Lola Baker was the Mocs fifth scoring runner to place with a time of 18:50.8 in the 29^th position.

Furman claimed the top two individual spots to lead the Paladins to their 13^th Southern Conference title with 23 points. Mercer was second with 68 points followed by the Mocs with 82. Western Carolina was third with 123 points and Samford took fifth at 129.

Martin led the men on the pitch, placing eighth overall, finishing behind a slew of Furman runners with a time of 24:44.6 on the 8-kilometer course. Derek Mitchell placed 16^th overall with a time of 25:42.3. Ian Etheridge ran the course in a time of 25:51.3, placing 19^th. Riley Hanson was Chattanooga's fourth runner to finish, placing 24^th with a time of 25:59.5 and Andrew Moore was the final scoring runner for the Mocs with a time of 26:50.6.

Furman's men also tallied their 13^th SoCon title with 20 points. ETSU's Jason Bowers claimed the individual title to lead the Bucs to second with 85 points. UNC Greensboro edged out the Mocs at the end placing third with 104 points and the Mocs fourth with 105 points.

The SoCon Championships marked the first time the meet was held at Tryon, offering a new challenge for all competitors. The Mocs now look ahead to the NCAA South Regional Championships later this month in Huntsville, Ala.

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WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1.Furman 23
2.Mercer 68
3.Chattanooga 82
4.Western Carolina 123
5. Samford 129
6. ETSU 140
7. VMI 206
8. UNCG 212
9.Wofford 244
10. The Citadel 300

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year
Tessa Walter, Furman

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Tessa Walter, Furman

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year
Rita Gary, Furman

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Pinnacle Award Winner
Emma Jones, Furman

First Team All-Conference
Tessa Walter, Furman
Nysa Males, Furman
Mary Grace Parker, Mercer
Maddie Wheatcroft, Chattanooga
Rory Sullivan, Furman
Felicity Hamilton, Samford
Zoie Lamanna, Furman

Second Team All-Conference
Jais Ward, Furman
Annie Miller, Furman
Nichole Harris, Mercer
Katherine Bannigan, Furman
Emma Jones, Furman
Leah Boyd, Chattanooga
Sophie Beach, ETSU

All-Freshman Team
Tessa Walter, Furman
Nysa Males, Furman
Mary Grace Parker, Mercer
Rory Sullivan, Furman
Zoie Lamanna, Furman
Jais Ward, Furman
Annie Miller, Furman

MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1.Furman 20
2.ETSU 85
3.UNCG 104
4. Chattanooga 105
5.Samford 115
6.Mercer 129
7. Western Carolina 157
8. VMI 231
9.The Citadel 273
10.Wofford 288

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year
Jason Bowers, ETSU

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Luke Hühn, UNCG

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year
Robert Gary, Furman

First Team All-Conference
Jason Bowers, ETSU
Albert Velikonja, Furman
Christopher Knight, Furman
Bryn Woodall, Furman
Luke Taylor, Furman
Rives Boltwood, Furman
Matteo Tonnos, Furman

Second Team All-Conference
Jackson Martin, Chattanooga
Colton Kempney, Furman
Chance Underwood, ETSU
Tripp Roemer, Furman
Luke Hühn, UNCG
David Brown, Samford
William Jordan, Samford

All-Freshman Team
Rives Boltwood, Furman
Matteo Tonnos, Furman
Tripp Roemer, Furman
Luke Huhn, UNCG
Matthias Peterson, Western Carolina
Jaleb Saunders, Western Carolina
Eli Clonch, Western Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Lola Baker

Leah Boyd Mitchell

Ian Etheridge

Riley Hanson

Bella King

Jack Martin

Derek Mitchell

Andrew Moore

Maddie Wheatcroft

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Southern Showcase on Sep 18, 2026 at M: 8:30 a.m. | 9:20 a.m. EDT

Upcoming Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Georgia Tech XC Invite on Oct 2, 2026 at M: 8:30 a.m. | W: 9:20 a.m.

Upcoming Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Crimson Classic on Oct 16, 2026

Upcoming Event: Cross Country & Track & Field versus Southern Conference Championships on Oct 31, 2026

Upcoming Event: Cross Country & Track & Field versus NCAA South Region Championships on Nov 13, 2026

Results

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Golden Eagle Invitational on September 4, 2026 , , Women 2nd | Men 2nd

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field versus Southern Conference Championships - Day Two on May 12, 2026 , , 8th

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Outdoor Music City Challenge on May 2, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Outdoor Music City Challenge on May 1, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Josh Reidinger Invitational on April 24, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at UAH Rocket City Invitational on April 18, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at Georgia Tech Invitational on April 18, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Cross Country & Track & Field at UAH Rocket City Invitational on April 17, 2026 ,