Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg men's cross country team will make its fifth-consecutive NCAA appearance at the 2025 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships, hosted by Converse University at the Roger Milliken Cross Country Course in Spartanburg, S.C.

The men's race will commence at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, with the women's race directly following at 11:00 a.m. Live results will be tracked by Leone Timing.

The Hornets entered the NCAA South Region Championships ranked 23rd in the nation and placed second in the team standings behind Washington & Lee. Each of Lynchburg's seven athletes finished inside the top 23 of the men's 8k to earn all-region honors.

Last year, Lynchburg placed 12th overall with 300 points in Terre Haute, Ind. Chasen Hunt led the Hornets with an All-American 24:24.3 finish for 14th place.

2025 marks the first time that Lynchburg has traveled south for an NCAA Cross Country Championships since the turn of the century. The state of South Carolina has never hosted an NCAA Cross Country Championships, although Myrtle Beach, S.C. served as the host site for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Weather

While the high temperature for Saturday is expected to rise to 79 degrees, the athletes will enjoy slightly cooler races during the morning. At 10:00 a.m., the temperature will be 68 degrees with partly cloudy skies, while wind gusts rest around eight mph.

Course

The course features two similar loops with different distances, and the field will quickly funnel with a narrow start. The surface is exclusively grass, and while the path is flat, the course ends with a steady ascent before leveling to the finish line.

Broadcast Information

The free live stream will be available on NCAA.com at 10:00 a.m. 

Top Seven

Throughout the postseason, Alex Jordan paced the Hornets up front with podium finishes at the ODAC Cross Country Championships and NCAA South Region Championships. One year after receiving ODAC Rookie of the Year honors, Jordan captured the ODAC Runner of the Year award on the men's side.

At Green Hill Park, the sophomore clocked 24:15.2 to claim a 17-second victory over the field. Jordan is the lone returner from last year's NCAA Championships roster, where he placed 219th with a 25:55.5 performance.

Johnathan Cobb returns to the NCAA Championships after missing the 2024 cross country season due to injury. The graduate student finished in the top ten at his first regional meet with a ninth-place 24:43.4 result for a personal best.

The regional appearance marked Cobb's first time dipping under the 25-minute mark, though he posted 25:10.1 at the Connecticut College Invite.

The Hornets utilized a host of sophomores throughout the regular season, including four in the top seven. Beyond Jordan's performances, Alex Paciello, Jack Weddle and Cameron Sidebotham each found consistency during the regular season to improve the team's ranking.

Paciello posted a personal best at the Connecticut College Invite, soaring to a 24:55.0 performance and a 35-second improvement from his previous PR. Weddle claimed a personal best at the NCAA South Region Championships, posting 25:27.8, while Sidebotham finished three seconds shy of a season best with a 25:34.2 result.

Randy White and Aidan Riggle complete Lynchburg's projected top seven following seasons marked by progression.

White claimed top-15 finishes at the conference and regional meets to begin the postseason, just three seconds away from erasing his personal best. Riggle posted 25:12.4 to finish 16th at the NCAA South Region Championships, while he earned a personal best earlier in the season with a 24:57.6 performance.

Six of Lynchburg's seven rostered athletes will return for the 2026 cross country season.

Coach Llaneza

Sam Llaneza will coach his first NCAA Championships event after earning 10 All-American honors as an athlete, tied with James Goss for the most in Lynchburg history.

In his first season, Llaneza led the Hornets to second-place finishes at the ODAC Championships and NCAA South Region Championships, while producing 13 all-conference selections and nine all-region honorees.

"I think we can all agree that we're incredibly grateful for this opportunity," Llaneza said. "Making the meet is a big deal, but performing means even more. We've had a lot of success on the track, and now I want to see it on the course."

As Lynchburg's young roster prepares to race, Llaneza hopes to emulate the experience he received as an athlete.

"I hope they can form connections with other teams and indulge in the sport," Llaneza said. "I want them to feel like they deserve to be at the national meet. It's an honor to coach such a high-level team in my first year." 

To view the entries list for the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships, click here.

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--LYN--