CANTON, Ga. – Montreat College men's cross country went 6-7-8 for a runner-up team finish while the women's squad ran their fastest team-time of the season for fourth place at the 2019 Appalachian Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning at Boling Park in Canton, Ga.

The men raced to 46 points, right behind Milligan College and 46 points ahead of third place SCAD Atlanta. The squad was led by Benjamin Schmidt's sixth place finish of 25:39.32 followed by Dan O'Dell who crossed the finish line 10 seconds later for seventh place at 25:48.83. The efforts of both Schmidt and O'Dell earned them a spot on the All-Conference First Team.

The trio of Antonio Gomez, Dylan Branch, and Nathan Richards rounded out the top-14 to receive All-Conference Second Team honors. Gomez closed Montreat's lead pack with an eighth-place finish of 25:51.44, and Branch collected All-Freshman nods with his time of 26:01.93 to finish 11th. Nathan Richards rounded out the scoring for the Cavs in 14th place with a time of 26:23.86.

The women's best team-time of the year earned them fourth place overall with 97 points, right behind Tennessee Wesleyan and 115 points ahead of fifth place Columbia. Lydia Wilson secured her spot on the All-Conference First Team with a seventh-place finish of 18:13.31. Erica Morin joined Wilson in punching her ticket to nationals with a time of 19:03.69 for 16th place.

Jenna Mallory and Lillie Siniard both raced to personal bests to earn sports on the All-Freshman Team, finishing at 19:18.78 and 19:44.40, respectively. Rounding out the scoring for Montreat was Madeline Sides who crossed at 20.01.65.

"I am so proud of both teams for how they came out and competed today," said head coach Jason Lewkowicz. "The men raced to win and while we came up short, we left it all out there, and they proved they are a top team in the NAIA. The women ran the best team race in school history by a good margin, and I thought they competed with great heart and effort. They have made consistent progress all season long and saved their best effort for the most important race."

"Both teams represented Montreat very well, and we will continue to build on this foundation of pursuing excellence for God's glory."

Up Next: The men's team along with Lydia Wilson and Erica Morin are set to compete in the NAIA National Championships Nov. 22 in Vancouver, Wash.