University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Big South Conference Championship
10.30.2026 | Cross Country
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Asheville men's and women's cross country teams turned in strong performances at the 2026 Big South Conference Cross Country Championships on Friday (Oct. 30), highlighted by a runner-up finish from the women's team, and Jacoby Ennis earning Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
The Bulldog women finished second overall with 67 points, while the men's team placed fourth with 111 points.
WOMEN'S RECAP
The Asheville women were led by Adela Konirova, who finished third overall in the 5K race with a school record time of 17:15.4, earning First-Team All-Conference honors. Aneta Kucerova joined Konirova on the First Team after placing seventh overall with a time of 17:47.0.
Isabel Richardson rounded out Asheville's All-Conference selections on the women's side, finishing eighth overall in 17:50.7 to earn Second-Team All-Conference recognition.
The Bulldogs also received strong performances from Ella Moore and Marika Dickel, who finished 24th and 25th, respectively. Moore crossed the finish line in 18:39.6, while Dickel followed closely behind in 18:39.9. Riley Humphries finished 35th with a time of 18:52.2, Nikole Baikova finished 37th with a time of 18:58.9, Addi Corl finished 41st with a time of 19:07.8 and Lauren Sochia finished 51st with a time of 19:45.9.
MEN'S RECAP
On the men's side, Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland led the Bulldogs with a 13th-place finish in the 8K race, clocking a time of 24:39.2 to earn Second-Team All-Conference honors. Sloan-Westmoreland's time puts him at No. 5 in program standings.
Bela Diettrich followed with a 17th-place finish, crossing the line in 24:53.8, the program's seventh fastest time. Jan Malek followed in 25th (25:21.6), Lenny Riebe finished 26th (25:22.6), Lance Surles finished 36th (25:50.8), Jacoby Ennis finished 39th (25:59.8), Luke Vannoy finished 41st (26:08.2), Evan Rounds finished 48th (26:19.8), Jonas Roach finished 52nd (26:33.9) and Craig Webb rounded out the Bulldogs in 62nd (26:55.2).
ENNIS NAMED SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Highlighting the Bulldogs' individual accolades was Jacoby Ennis, who was named the 2026 Big South Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Ennis became the first UNC Asheville men's cross country student-athlete to earn the prestigious honor since 2018.
BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE HONORS
- Jacoby Ennis – Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Adela Konirova – First-Team All-Conference
- Aneta Kucerova – First-Team All-Conference
- Isabel Richardson – Second-Team All-Conference & All-Academic Team
- Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland – Second-Team All-Conference
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will turn their attention to the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, held in Spartanburg, S.C., on Nov. 13.
