University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Covered Bridge Invitational
Women finish sixth; men finish seventh at Covered Bridge Open
08.30.2024 | Cross Country
BOONE, N.C - The UNC Asheville cross country team opened its 2024 season at the Covered Bridge Invitational on Friday (Aug. 30). In total, 10 Bulldogs made their collegiate debuts, six on the women's side and four for the men. The Bulldogs displayed some great performances on both the women's and men's side, with six women and four men securing their first mark for their collegiate distance campaign.
The women led the field of Big South competitors, as the Bulldogs' sixth-place finish placed them in front of High Point (seventh), Winthrop (eighth), and USC Upstate (ninth).
The first to finish for Asheville in the women's race was sophomore Ella Moore, placing 14th at 18:26.15. Moore led the Bulldogs from the gun, securing the third-highest finish for a Bulldog at this event since 2017.
Next to cross the line was freshman Addi Corl, who finished 31st at 18:50.31, putting two Bulldogs in the top 50. The rest of the Bulldog pack soon followed, with junior Sophie Lundin finishing in 58th (19:47.94), followed by freshmen Lily Kelpin (19:59.36, 64th) and Ella Warren (19:59.44, 65th), sophomore Lauren Sochia (20:21.20, 67th) and junior Alyx Beausoleil (20:44.11, 79th). The freshmen trio of Ashley Keazer (20:58.02), Eva Weaver ( 21:04.39), and Payton Murphy (21:08.99) finished 82nd, 83rd, and 84th, and junior Maddie Hamuka finished in 22:34.46 to round out the Bulldogs.
The men finished seventh with 201 points. Andrew Okon led the charge for the Bulldogs, clocking a time of 19:40.54 (33rd-place). Jonas Roach was next across the line in 49th place (20:15.15) to also put a duo of Bulldogs in a top-50 spot. Following Roach were sophomores Nate Sullivan (20:34.22, 61st) and Jaheem O'Hara (20:36.14, 63rd). Freshman Jacoby Ennis (20:42.31, 66th), sophomore Lance Surles (20:48.28, 70th), and a freshman trio of Logan Russo (21:00.26, 75th), Hank Neal (21:11.79, 76th), and Noah Jones (21:30.44, 82nd) rounded out Asheville's finishes.
"Today was a great opportunity to see some of our conference opponents and for our athletes to test themselves after working hard this summer," Head Coach Adam Puett said. "As we compete more and bring out all of our athletes, we will see our team scores improve."
Full Team Scores
Women
|
South Carolina |
16 points |
|
App State |
51 points |
|
Mercer |
91 points |
|
Montreat |
117 points |
|
Western Carolina |
147 points |
|
UNC Asheville |
168 points |
|
High Point |
199 points |
|
Winthrop |
229 points |
|
USC Upstate |
260 points |
Men
| App State | 18 points |
| Mercer | 64 points |
| Western Carolina | 85 points |
| Montreat | 96 points |
| High Point | 114 points |
| USC Upstate | 167 points |
| UNC Asheville | 201 points |
| Winthrop | 238 points |
For complete results, click here.
The UNC Asheville Bulldogs will be back in spikes on Saturday, Sept. 14, as they travel to Greenville, SC. for the Furman Invitational.
To stay updated with all things surrounding Asheville cross country, follow the team on 𝕩.
Players Mentioned
