CLINTON, Miss. — Mississippi College cross country swept the team titles on its home course Friday at Choctaw Trails, as both the men's and women's teams captured first place at the Watson Collegiate Invitational behind deep, balanced efforts and multiple personal bests.

Men's 8K — Choctaws Take Team Championship with 63 Points

The Choctaws' men's squad turned in a commanding performance, placing five runners inside the top 27 to win the team title with 63 points, ahead of East Texas A&M (88) and Union (Tenn.) (107).

Senior Christian Balcer paced MC with a season-best 25:25.80, finishing eighth overall. Sidney Stegall ran a personal record (PR) of 25:27.70 for ninth, and Cooper Parmer followed close behind in 12th at 25:36.60. Matthew Singletary was 16th in 25:51.50, and Baxter Friedman closed the scoring five with a 27th-place finish in 26:12.80.

Freshman Caleb Whipp posted a PR of 26:13.70, while Evan Wrights (PR – 26:57.90) and Samuel Hodson (PR – 26:59.40) added strong finishes in the middle of the pack. Colin Brannon (27:16.70), Charlie Rook (27:23.20), and Matthew Meadows (27:46.00) added key depth in the large 8K field.

Women's 6K — Choctaws Claim Home Victory

The Mississippi College women's team continued its stellar season with another meet title, winning the 6K team championship with 38 points. The Choctaws placed all five scorers inside the top 15 to finish ahead of Union (86) and William Carey (88).

Leading the way for MC was Lauren Wallace, with a time of 21:57.60 finishing second overall, followed by Bre Bell in third  (22:05.80), both running among the leaders from start to finish. Taylor Benoit placed sixth (22:21.80), while Catherine Wallace (23:15.20) crossed in 17th and Shana Sellers rounded out the scoring in 14th (23:15.40), securing the team title.

Freshman Audrey Mayatte (21st) ran a 23:17.30 and Kate Finch (23rd) finished with a time of 23:18.60.

MC's women showed a consistent pack-running strategy, with less than a minute separating their top five finishers — a key advantage heading into postseason competition.

Team Results Summary

Men's Top Five Teams

1. Mississippi College – 63

2. East Texas A&M – 88

3. Union (Tenn.) – 107

4. Ozarks (Ark.) – 117

5. Loyola-New Orleans – 178

Women's Top Five Teams

1. Mississippi College – 38

2. Union (Tenn.) – 86

3. William Carey – 88

4. East Texas A&M – 144

5. Louisiana Tech – 174