CLINTON, Miss. — The Mississippi Christian men's and women's cross country teams turned in strong performances Friday morning at the Watson Cross Country Classic, with the women finishing second and the men placing third at Choctaw Trails.
The meet marked the largest collegiate Watson Classic in meet history, with more than 30 programs represented across the men's and women's competitions. Both Choctaw squads used the meet as a sharpener for their regular top seven runners ahead of next weekend's trip to Huntsville, Alabama.
The Mississippi Christian women finished second overall with 83 points, narrowly edging Gulf South Conference opponent Union (Tenn.), which finished third with 86 points. Ouachita Baptist claimed the team title with 45 points.
Sophomore Catherine Wallace led the way for the Choctaws, finishing fourth overall with a time of 22:28.8 in the 6K. Audrey Mayatte followed with a 16th-place finish in 23:23.3, while Ava Wardlaw crossed the line in 18th at 23:30.3.
Freshman Elena Palacios continued her strong season, finishing 23rd in 23:38.4. The Choctaws placed four runners inside the top 25, helping secure the runner-up finish in a competitive field.
On the men's side, Mississippi Christian finished third overall with 94 points, just six points behind second-place Ouachita Baptist. Union (Tenn.) captured the team title with 78 points.
Freshman Hudson Copeland led the Choctaws with a 14th-place finish, crossing the line in 25:45.7. Gabriel McElwain followed closely behind in 19th with a time of 25:51.6.
Carson Smith finished 21st in 25:56.2, while Baxter Friedman and Matthew Singletary rounded out the scoring five with times of 25:57.3 and 25:58.0, respectively.
The Choctaws displayed strong depth throughout the race, with just over 12 seconds separating their five scoring runners. Caleb Whipp and Colin Brannon also finished inside the top 30, crossing the line in 26:01.5 and 26:04.7.
With the postseason approaching, Friday's competition served primarily as a sharpener for the Choctaws' regular top seven on both sides. The meet provided another opportunity to get a race effort in while continuing preparations for the championship portion of the season.
The historic field also marked another milestone for the Watson Classic, as the event continues to grow into one of the region's premier collegiate cross country meets.
Mississippi Christian will now turn its attention to next weekend's competition in Huntsville, Alabama, where both squads will compete for the final time before the Gulf South Conference Championships.
