The Emory men's and women's cross country teams concluded their regular seasons Saturday morning by working through rainy conditions to produce a pair of strong performances at the Berry Invitational.
The men's team, which stands as the 24th-best team in DIII, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Poll, recorded just 20 points as a team and outran local rival Oglethorpe University (66 points) for first place. The University of Chattanooga, the only scoring DI team in the 8K event, ended up in third place and trailed the Stormy Petrels by 24 points. Host Berry College claimed fourth with 103 points and defeated Covenant by 31 to leave the Scots in fifth.
Junior Jack Whetstone led all scoring runners with a final time of 25:39.69 and finished third overall. Sam Bowers and Chase Condra, racing as unattached participants from the University of Georgia, crossed in first and second with times of 24:58.74 and 25:15.08, respectively. In fourth place was sophomore Brett Lucas, who covered the course in 25:48.46. Sophomore Spencer Moore (25:57.40) and junior John Cox (26:02.26) followed closely behind another pair of UGA competitors to land in seventh and eighth place overall. Freshman Bradshaw Lathbury (26.22.55) nearly turned in a scoring effort in his debut for the Eagles, but junior Matt Dillon (26.22.23) nosed in front of the newcomer to fill the last scoring slot and take 15th-place overall.
The women's cross country team, ranked 30th in the nation, wrapped up their regular season with a second-place finish out of 13 squads and registered 48 points. Only DI UTC was able to beat the Eagles, as they totaled 26 points in the 6K race to win the meet. Berry earned 86 points at their home event for third, maintaining an advantage of 38 points over Sewanee. In-state rival Piedmont College rounded out the top-five with its 156 point effort.
Junior Susie Martin paced the Eagles on the women's side, crossing after 22:41.80 to take fourth-place overall. UTC's Makenzie Jones won the women's race by running the Clara Bowl course in 22:14.71. Meredith Herman (22.37.22) represented Berry in the runner-up position, while Lesley Green, a freshman from UTC, finished two seconds later for the third-place award. Junior Carrie McIntyre was the next Eagle to break through the finish line, as she posted a 23:44.49 to take 12th-place overall. Junior Abby Durfee needed 23:52.74 for her 6K, which was good enough for the 11th scoring spot. A trio of first-year Eagles crossed in consecutive fashion immediately after as Leah Clark, Shana Fitzmaurice, and Annika Urban found themselves in 16th, 17th, and 18th-place overall. Fitzmaurice was the final Emory runner to score with her time of 24:01.11.
Emory's cross country teams will make their next appearance at the UAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2nd at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.