The Emory men’s and women’s cross country teams recorded first-place finishes on Saturday in the White Division of the JSU Foothills Invitational.  The event was held at the Oxford Lake and Recreation Center in Oxford, Alabama.

The 34^th-ranked men’s side topped a five-team field with 16 points, bettering runner-up Birmingham Southern who totaled 46 points.  Rounding out the competitors were Spring Hill (88 pts.), Tuskegee (110 pts.) and Miles (132 pts.).  The Eagles claimed the top four overall finishers, led by senior Lukas Mees who led all 47 runners with an 8K time of 25:35.  Junior Grant Murphy posted his second straight outing of 26:03 that ranked second to Mees, while junior Michael McBane finished in the No. 3 slot after registering a season-best performance of 26:05.  Junior Michael Sisario was the No. 4 Eagle with his outing of 26:06 establishing a personal best time.  Freshman Bennett Shaw rounded out the team’s scorers and crossed the finish line sixth overall with a showing of 26:27.   

The No. 31-ranked women breezed to the spot out of six teams, earning the top five scoring spots and registering 15 points. Birmingham Southern was second with 72 points, three points better than third-place holder, the UGA Running Club. Senior Elise Viox led the 60-runners who competed in the 5K, finishing with an 18:15.  Sophomore Gabrielle Stravach was the race’s No. 2 scorer (No. 3 overall) with a mark of 18:38 while senior Aileen Rivell (18:42, No. 3 scorer), sophomore Megan Waples (18:45, No. 4 scorer) and freshman Clare Ubersax (18:47, No. 5 scorer) rounded out the scoring spots. 

Both teams return to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they compete in the NCAA D-III Pre-Nationals in Winneconne, Wisconsin.