LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Montreat College men's and women's cross country saw multiple personal bests and school records as they competed in the Louisville XC Classic on Saturday morning. The men's squad competed in the gold race (top division) for the first time. Against some of the best teams in the country at any level, the Cavs finished 34th out of 42 teams in the event. It would be a record setting day for the men, as they ran a sub 2:10 team time (2:09:23) and sub 26 minute average (25:53) for the first time in school history. What made the effort all the more exciting is the fact that the top two runners for the Cavaliers at last year's NAIA XC National championships, Nathan Richards and Antonio Gomez, were outside of the scoring ranks for the team as they work their way back from injuries.

Ben Schmidt had his second straight personal best performance, using the packed and stacked field to propel him to a time of 25:11. After Schmidt, the next seven Cavs would come through less than a minute apart with Dan O'Dell (25:50) and Dylan Branch (25:51) eclipsing the 26-minute mark for the first time. They were nearly joined by teammate Caleb Silver, who crossed the line soon after with a time of 26:04. The next wave of men were tightly packed and included Jacob Parker (26:24), Antonio Gomez (26:30), Garret Welsh (26:32), and Nathan Richards (26:43). Richards, the reigning AAC Freshman of the Year, was making his season debut after a series of injuries which limited his training.

"I was really pleased with how the men came out and competed today," said director of cross country Jason Lewkowicz. "It was an honor to get to compete in the top race at one of the best and biggest collegiate cross country meets in the nation, and the men were up for the challenge. Our depth really came through today as Antonio and Nathan ran controlled efforts as they work their way back from injuries. Ben ran another smart and gutsy race, and the crew behind him did the same. It was a solid team day all the way around, and now we get to go back to work and prepare for the postseason."

The women's team competed in the blue race (second division) and had a great day, finishing ninth out of 62 teams in the huge field. The squad defeated several teams rated ahead of them in the NAIA polls and was spurred by a solid performance from Lydia Wilson, who placed 11th in the field of over 550 runners. Erica Morin had a huge personal best, finishing 36th with a time of 19:01. Jenna Mallory was third for the Cavs, setting a new season best time of 19:42. Lillie Siniard (20:18) and Madeline Sides (20:28) rounded out the scoring for the team.

"We were delighted with the top 10 team finish for the women today," said Lewkowicz. "They took advantage of the competition and course conditions and gave a great effort. Lydia and Erica really set the tone up front for us, and Jenna really took a big step forward with her racing. We have a lot of parity in the 3-8 positions on our team, and we'll be looking to keep that group closer together as we continue to train and compete. I love the attitude and effort that this team shows, and they keep pushing the bar higher and higher," said Lewkowicz.

Up Next: Both squads are set to compete in their final regular season meet, the Dual on the Tweetsie in Milligan College, Tenn. on October 25.