Cary, N.C. – The University of Lynchburg men's and women's cross country teams ran stride for stride with Division I competition at the XC Adidas Challenge on Friday.
In the women's 5k, Kayla Werner led the charge with a 10th-place finish for 17:07.6. Werner attacked the course from the opening gunfire and remained close to NC State and Liberty packs in the front of the field.
Allison Dell crossed the finish line in 18:26.6 for 49th place. She and Werner return for the 2024 campaign after booking trips to the cross country and track and field national championships during the 2023-2024 school year.
Freshman Adelynn Carpenter (18:44.4), Delaney Saulsbury (18:59.9), and Taylor Hill (19:14.6) rounded out the scoring for the Hornets' women's squad. Lynchburg finished seventh out of 14 teams after moving up late in the race.
On the men's side, freshman Dylan McGraw impressed with a 19:20.7 6k finish for 67th place. Alex Paciello crossed the line in 19:30.5 for 79th while seconds later, Randy White finished in 19:32.4 for 81st. Led by the three underclassmen, the Hornets relied on Chase Maters (19:59.4) and Grant Williams (20:17.9) to close the scoring.
The men's squad finished 11th out of 14 squads in the primarily DI field. Lynchburg competed as the only DIII team in attendance from WakeMed Soccer Park.
While the Carolina group will enjoy two weeks of rest before the next meet, one meet remains on the docket this weekend for the Hornets. A group of Lynchburg men will compete at 9:00 a.m. at the John McNichols Invite in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday in a national preview.
For full results from the XC Adidas Challenge in Cary, click here.
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--LYN--
