University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Southeast Regional Kickoff
Women First; Men Third at Converse Kick-Off
09.19.2026 | Cross Country
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Asheville cross country teams turned in strong performances at the Converse Kick-Off on Saturday (Sept. 19), with the women capturing the team title and the men finishing third overall.
The women outpaced the field with 52 points, highlighted by an individual victory and three top-10 finishes. The men totaled 100 points and placed four runners inside the top 30. The women competed in the 6K, while the men raced the 8K, giving the Bulldogs an early look at the course that will host both the Big South Championships on Oct. 30 and the NCAA Southeast Regional on Nov. 13.
Freshman Adela Konirova continued her impressive start to the 2026 season, remaining unbeaten through her first two collegiate races. After winning the Duel in the Valley on Sept. 4, Konirova doubled the race distance on Saturday and remained in control, pulling away from the field to claim the individual title in 21:33.2. Her performance ranks No. 3 on Asheville's all-time 6K performance list.
Isabel Richardson was next across the line for the Bulldogs, finishing fifth in 22:21.5, while Aneta Kucerová placed ninth in 22:44.5 to give Asheville three runners inside the top 10. Marika Dickel finished 14th in 23:00.5, followed by Ella Moore in 23rd (23:21.9), Nikole Baikova in 26th (23:32.2), Riley Humphries in 31st (23:55.7) and Addi Corl in 49th (24:48.5).
On the men's side, Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland led the Bulldogs with an eighth-place finish, clocking a personal-best time of 25:05.0. His performance moves him to No. 7 on Asheville's all-time 8K performance list.
Bella Diettrich was the next Bulldog across the line, placing 16th in 25:23.0. Fellow freshmen Lenny Riebe and Macon Smith followed in 21st (25:31.1) and 27th (25:38.9), respectively, to round out Asheville's four top-30 finishers.
Also competing for the Bulldogs were Jan Málek in 44th (26:02.8), Craig Webb in 46th (26:06.3), Jacoby Ennis in 57th with a personal-best time of 26:17.5, Luke Vannoy in 63rd (26:31.6), Asher Roach in 65th (26:33.5), Evan Rounds in 76th (26:46.1) and Lance Surles in 85th (27:01.2).
The Bulldogs return to action on Oct. 2 at the Fire Tower Open, hosted by Appalachian State University.
For full results from the Converse Kick-Off, click HERE.
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