Firehawks Finish Fourth in the Southern States Athletic Conference Championships
OAKVILLE, Ala. – The University of Tennessee Southern men's cross country squad finished fourth in SSAC Championship held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday.
William Carey edged out Mobile 48 to 52 to win the 2023 SSAC Men's Cross Country Championship Saturday at Oakville Indian Mounds Park. The Crusaders' Carson Barlow won the individual title with a time of 25:33.09.
The Crusaders had the top two finishers and five in the top 18, while Mobile produced three of the top seven and five of the top 22 finishers. William Carey earns a bid to the 2023 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship with the victory. The top four individuals not on a qualifying team also earn bids.
Matthew Andrea led the Firehawk effort earning a 15th-place finish in 26:25. UTS ended the race in 2:13:55 and with 101 points.
The rest of the UT Southern scorers finished taking places 16, 21, 24, and 25. JJ Lincoln landed a time of 26:27, while Titus Korir ran at 26:46. Cody Hill crossed the line at 27:02, with Raleigh Stamps 10 seconds behind at 27:12.
Team Scoring
- William Carey – 46
- Mobile – 52
- Life – 63
- UT Southern – 101
- Blue Mountain Christian – 116
- Loyola – 151
- Point – 219
- Thomas – 230
- Brewton-Parker – 242
- Stillman – 254
- Faulkner – 326
Individual Finishes
- Matthew Andrea – 26:25
- JJ Lincoln – 26:27
- Titus Korir – 26:46
- Cody Hill – 27:02
- Raleigh Stamps – 27:12
- Dakota Sheppard – 27:26
- Daniel Sanchez – 28:35
SSAC AWARDS
Coach of the Year: Cooper Herrington, William Carey
Runner of the Year: Carson Barlow, William Carey
Freshman of the Year: Joe Stevens, Mobile
Sportsmanship Award: Mobile
Noteworthy
· Barlow earns Runner of the Year honors for the second-straight year, and it is the fifth-straight year a WCU runner took home the award
· Herrington earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding his team to the title in his first season at the helm
· Stevens is the second-straight Ram to claim Freshman of the Year honors
· The All-Conference Team is the top 15 finishers from the championship, while the All-Freshman Team is the top five freshman finishers
All-Conference Team
Carson Barlow, William Carey
Seth Kramlich, William Carey
Christian Salt, Life
Will Porter, Blue Mountain
Jacob Harned, Mobile
Joe Stevens, Mobile
Preston Webb, Mobile
Dennis Kipruto, Life
Justin Tomison, Thomas
Gavin Wheat, William Carey
Jacob Kennedy, Loyola
Joey Jones, Mobile
Ikageng Gaorekwe, Life
Lukas Dykes, Blue Mountain
Matthew Andrea, UT Southern
All-Freshman Team
Joe Stevens, Mobile
Gavin Wheat, William Carey
Jacob Kennedy, Loyola
Lukas Dykes, Blue Mountain
Nathan Sury, William Carey
Barnes & Noble College All-Academic Team
Ethan Thomas, Faulkner
Emmanuel Tovar-Negrete, Thomas
Landon Watts, Thomas
Abedelemejid (AK) Kerebo, Life
Christian Salt, Life
Brett Vanleuvan, Point
Joshua Beam, Point
Jacob Hackenberry, Brewton-Parker
DJ Christensen, Brewton-Parker
Jordan Hackett, Brewton-Parker
Hunter Milhollin, Brewton-Parker
Brandon Williams, Brewton-Parker
Nathaniel Schumacher, Faulkner
Tyler Malone, UT Southern
Cody Hill, UT Southern
Andrew Ayala, Blue Mountain Christian
Kaden Braddock, Blue Mountain Christian
Will Porter, Blue Mountain Christian
Jacob Harned, Mobile
Denzel Sawyer, Mobile
Henry Woodall, Mobile
Connor Meigs, Loyola
Javon Lee, William Carey
Carson Barlow, William Carey
Warren Alex Beeler, William Carey
Seth Kramlich, William Carey
Elvis Chebogel, Stillman
Emmanuel Kipruto, Stillman
Champions of Character Team
Brett Vanleuven, Point
Trey Reid, Brewton-Parker
Javon Lee, William Carey
Daniel Sanchez, UT Southern
Emmanuel Kipruto, Stillman
Timothy Tulloch, Thomas
Jacob Harned, Mobile
Jace Luckoski, Loyola
Joel Parker, Blue Mountain Christian
Ethan Thomas, Faulkner
Dennis Kibet, Life
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