Lions Seek NCAA Berth at Regionals

MARS HILL, N.C.—Mars Hill's men's cross country team will be seeking a trip to the NCAA Championships when they compete for the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship this Saturday.

The Lions earned their 17th-consecutive South Atlantic Conference Championship in their last race two weeks ago, an unprecedented streak in conference history in any sport. MHU enters the Regional Championship ranked fifth in the Southeast Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The men's 10K championship race will begin at 11:30 a.m. at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C.

Mars Hill runners competed on the same course at the Royals Pre-Region Challenge. The Lions placed second among Division II teams in the race.

Pacing the Lions are five All-SAC performers. Alex Griggs, Derek Gibson and Nathan Jones turned in First-Team All-SAC performances at the conference meet, with Jones picking up Freshman of the Year honors. Cesar Reyes and Brady Adcock picked up second-team honors.

Last season, the Lions placed fourth in the Southeast Regional Championship. Griggs qualified for the National Championship meet, where he went on to turn in the 16th-best time in the nation by a freshman. Reyes also turned in an All-Region performance at last season's Regionals, placing 13th overall.

The top three teams in the region receive automatic-qualifying bids to the NCAA Division II National Championship, which will be held Nov. 23 in Spokane, Wash.

The McAlpine Creek Championship Cross Country course is located at 8711 Monroe Rd., Charlotte, N.C. 28212. Tickets will be available for purchase the day of the race at the course entrance. Adult and student tickets are $2, with children under the age of 10 admitted free.