BLACK MOUNTAIN, NC - The Montreat College men's and women's cross country teams hosted the 2016 Appalachian Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning on the Black Mountain campus cross country course. 

The men kicked off the action and raced to a second-place finish in the team standing, matching the best finish in program history. Brien Lancaster (JR/Jacksonville, NC) led the way for the Cavaliers, finishing 3rd overall with a time of 26:25 on the tough and hilly 8k course. Rylan Hincher (SO/North Wilkesboro, NC) ran a tremendous race and earned a top-10 finish, placing 10th in 27:09. Darus Futrell capped off an outstanding freshman campaign by placing 16th overall with a time of 27:32. Holden Dixon (SO/Chocowinity, NC) was the #4 finisher for Montreat, crossing the line in 23rd place with a time of 28:11. Jacob Parker (FR/Elkin, NC) placed 28th with a time of 28:20 to round out the scoring for the men. Frank Bartholow (FR/Lexington, NC) placed 32nd overall with a time of 28:27 while Brandon Welborn (JR/Traphill, NC) placed 47th in a time of 29:33 to finish as the #7 runner for the Cavaliers. Other competitiors for Montreat included Daniel Lancaster (JR/Wilmington, NC) (52nd-29:56), Jeb Phillips (FR/Mooresville, NC) (54th-29:59), Chase Blackwell (FR/Linden, NC) (61-30:10), Daniel Newcomb (SO/Candler, NC) (68th-31:12), Clay Yeaton (FR/Batesville, IN) (69th-31:19), Lee Wooden (SO/Rock Hill, SC) (76th-32:43), and Sam Hale (SO/Charlotte, NC) (93rd-38:27).

Brien Lancaster was named to the All-AAC first team and qualified for the NAIA National Championships on November 19th in Elsah, Illinois. Rylan Hincher was named to the All-AAC second team while Darius Futrell (FR/Richlands, NC) earned All-Freshman team honors.

"I am so very proud of how the men competed today," said head coach Jason Lewkowicz. We knew we had a tough task ahead of us facing a strong conference but the men were focused and wanted to race well on our home course. Our course is tough and runs about 75 seconds slower than the flatter courses we have raced on lately so the team worked hard to prepare for the challenge. We had a mixture of veterans and freshman step up for us today and to finish a solid second is a great accomplishment for these guys. With no seniors on the roster, I'm really excited about the future of this group as they continue to develop and grow and they have a lot to be excited about as well."

The women's team came through with a seventh place finish as a team, despite racing without several team members. The lack of depth hurt the Cavaliers as they were a mere eight points from 4th place in a tightly contested 5k race. Nonetheless, the women gave a strong effort, led by Isabel Salinas (FR/Resaca, GA) who placed 26th overall in 21:22. Fellow freshman Kelly Norton (FR/Murray, KY) was close behind, placing 30th with a time of 21:37. Alona Kosenko (JR/Charlotte, NC) wrapped up a strong junior year by placing 35th with a time of 21:45. Madeline Sides (FR/Denver, NC) was the #4 finisher for the Cavaliers, placing 39th in a time of 22:08. MiKayla Poulter (JR/Hickory, NC) rounded out the top-five for Montreat by placing 52nd with a time of 22:51 while Samantha Gaskill (JR/Wilmington, NC) completed her final collegiate cross country race by placing right behind Poulter in 53rd with a time of 22:52. Abigail Chevalier (JR/Swanton, VT) placed 74th overall with a time of 25:08.

"It has been a challenging year for the women in terms of injuries and sickness but the resolve they showed today was inspiring," said Lewkowicz. To know that this team finished 9th a year ago and was a few spots from fourth in a league with three top-2 teams shows the progress they are making, even if it didn't quite show up in the team results. We have a young foundation that has a lot of talent and ability and they can develop into something special if they want to."

While Brien Lancaster prepares for the national meet, the men's team will await word on whether or not they receive a team bid to the meet. The NAIA will release the full field for the championship meet by 6pm on Monday, November 8th. Regardless of the outcome of that decision, Lewkowicz feels like they have nothing to be disappointed about.

"This entire week the focus was on going out and running a race that would glorify God," said Lewkowicz. "It was amazing to see the individual team members, especially the team captains, take the lead on inspiring one another this week to compete in a way that would honor Christ and point people towards His goodness. Their attitude and effort were great and they rallied around one another today to bring out their best while showing great hospitality and sportsmanship to our competitors. I am definitely blessed to be able to coach this group and praise God for the goodness, mercy, and grace He has shown us this season."