HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Mississippi Christian men's and women's cross country teams returned to Huntsville on Saturday morning for the UAH Chargers XC Invitational at John Hunt Park, competing against a strong field of Division II programs in their final regular-season meet before the Gulf South Conference Championships.

The Choctaw men finished ninth overall out of 40 teams with 318 points, while the women placed 13th out of 38 teams with 385 points.

On the men's side, Matthew Singletary led the way for Mississippi Christian, finishing 48th overall with an 8K time of 24:48.1. Carson Smith followed closely behind in 50th place, crossing the line in 24:48.3, just two-tenths of a second behind Singletary.

Baxter Friedman rounded out the Choctaws' top three, finishing 58th overall in 24:52.1. The trio gave MC three finishers within four seconds of each other.

Tristan Bryan was the fourth Choctaw across the line, finishing 93rd in 25:12.9, while Colin Brannon completed the team's scoring five with a time of 25:19.5, good for 107th overall.

Max Jacketti (25:47.6) and Samuel Bryan (25:53.9) rounded out the Choctaws' top seven.

Mississippi Christian finished just two points behind eighth-place Catawba in a competitive field that featured six nationally ranked men's programs. No. 6 Lee University claimed the team title with 26 points, followed by Charleston and Tampa.

For the women, Catherine Wallace led Mississippi Christian with a 39th-place finish, completing the 6K course in 21:55.2.

Ava Wardlaw was the second Choctaw to finish, placing 84th overall in 22:33.3. Audrey Mayatte followed in 91st place with a time of 22:37.2, while Kinley Harris crossed the line in 96th with a time of 22:43.2.

Isabella Bailey rounded out the scoring five for MC, finishing 100th overall in 22:46.5. The Choctaws placed four runners within 13.2 seconds of each other from their second through fifth finishers.

Gabrielle Jeffery (22:57.5) and Elena Palacios (23:04.5) completed the team's top seven.

The meet provided Mississippi Christian with another opportunity to compete against some of the top programs in the South Region and across Division II as the postseason approaches.

Both teams will now turn their attention to the Gulf South Conference Championships, scheduled for November 6 in Nashville, Tennessee.