GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) cross country team enters the postseason on Saturday with the Tryon Southern Conference (SoCon) Cross Country Championships, presented by Ingles, at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina.
The men's 8K will open the morning at 10:00 a.m., before the women run in the 5K at 10:45 a.m.
Meet information
- Live Results – Men's 8K
- Live Results – Women's 5K
- Course Maps
- SoCon Cross Country Championship Homepage
- Men's 8K Race – 10:00 a.m.
- Women's 5K Race – 10:45 a.m.
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Tryon SoCon Cross Country Championships information
UNCG lineup – men
Khalid Abdullahi, Gunnar Douglass, Sebastian Frickel, Pierson Guerrant, Luke Hühn, Jonathan Marsden, Lane Prochaska, Logan Ruffner, Spencer Slayton
UNCG lineup – women
Olivia Arnold, Emily Graff, Sasha Helmer, Hailey Meyers, Camryn Oates, Erica Rash, Vicky Sosa, Joelle Tonne
The field
Furman, ETSU, UNCG, Chattanooga, Samford, Tennessee Tech, Mercer, Western Carolina, VMI, The Citadel and Wofford.
Last time out - men
UNCG's men placed fifth among 37 squads at the Upstate Invitational on Oct. 17, just behind Charleston Southern, Duke, Furman and Davidson while edging out four SoCon opponents. Khalid Abdullahi was the first of several Spartans to crush his previous personal best, breezing to seventh among a field of over 300 runners with a time of 24:05.1.
Luke Hühn was UNCG's second finisher, narrowly missing out on a top-10 spot as the sophomore crossed the line in 11th with a PR himself of 24:15.8; Lane Prochaska (26th, 24:41.6) and Pierson Guerrant (44th, 25:08.5) similarly ran their best races in Spartanburg. Logan Ruffner became UNCG's fifth finisher in 81st, crossing the line at 25:40.7.
Jonathan Marsden (26:04.1), Spencer Slayton (26:10.5), Gunnar Douglass (26:37.7) and Sebastian Frickel (26:49.4) all set new personal bests as well for UNCG. Multiple Spartan runners bested their previous top marks by over a minute, a promising sign for a Spartan unit picked to finish third in the SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Last time out - women
UNCG's women placed eighth among 36 squads in Spartanburg, just behind SoCon foes Western Carolina and Mercer. Vicky Sosa was the top finisher for the Blue & Gold, crossing the line 28th among 309 runners with a time of 18:12.9.
Camryn Oates (45th, 18:30.9) and Olivia Arnold (54th, 18:38.0) both rolled to new PRs at the Upstate Invitational, Arnold shaving over a minute and a half over her previous best. Hailey Meyers would become the fourth Spartan to book a top-75 spot by finishing 71st with a time of 18:55.0.
Joelle Tonne (19:34.9), Erica Rash (19:48.8), Emily Graff (20:32.2) and Sasha Helmer (21:16.3) rounded out the Spartan women; all three of Tonne, Graff and Helmer set new PRs in the process, Graff and Helmer both cutting down by over a minute.
Last time at the SoCon Championships
Last season saw UNCG's men place third for the second straight season, while the women placed eighth. Hühn led the way for the Blue & Gold, earning All-SoCon and Freshman of the Year honors by finishing 12th in the men's race. Oates was the top female finisher for the Spartans, taking 30th; both top finishers for the Spartans were freshmen.
How it works
- The top 14 finishers in both races will receive All-Conference recognition, split between First Team (1-7) and Second Team (7-14).
- The top finisher in either race that is participating in their first SoCon Championship will be honored as the Newcomer of the Year.
Returners for the Spartans
Five UNCG men are back in the lineup after 2025's race; Hühn, Abdullahi (18th last season), Ruffner, Guerrant and Prochaska. For the women, Oates and Rash are the lone racers from 2025's championship weekend slated to compete this weekend.
Abdullahi will be running in his fourth SoCon Championship, the most of anyone currently for the Blue & Gold; Ruffner and Guerrant are set to compete in their third on the men's side, while Sosa returns for her third with the women after missing 2025.
