CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Radford men's and women's cross country programs put on an absolute show, led by All-Conference efforts from
Kate McLearen and
Azrael Cabusao, as the two squads competed at the 2024 Big South Championships, hosted by Charleston Southern at the CSU Cross Country Course on Friday morning.
"The ladies competed with incredible resilience today," Highlander head cross country coach
Sam Bradley said. "With a team largely constructed of individuals who have not raced at the Big South meet before, to see how they elevated their performance and stepped up to the challenge was incredibly admirable. It was a true team performance on the ladies side today."
"The men were solid as well," Bradley added. "Az had a tremendous day and was another individual racing at the Big South meet for the very first time. He equipped himself extremely well for All-Conference honors."
THE BASICS
RESULTS: Men: 4th (126 Points) | Women: 3rd (89 Points)
MEET: 2024 Big South Cross Country Championships
LOCATION: CSU Cross Country Course (Charleston, South Carolina)
NOTABLES
- Kate McLearen and the women's squad got the day started with their 5K championship race. McLearen led the Highlanders with a ninth-place finish with a personal best time of 17:46.2. To go with being a PR, the mark was also the ninth-fastest 5K in program history. The performance led her to a Second Team All-Conference selection.
- Leonora Lynn and Sienna Bailey were right behind with top-20 finishes. Lynn crossed the line first in 15th overall at 18:07.8 while Bailey finished in 17th at 18:13.9, respectively. The strong showings were good for personal bests for both student-athletes.
- The rest of the top-five was rounded out by Megan Cash in 22nd with a time of 18:30.6 and Claire Keefe in 26th at 18:40.6. The two performances were also personal records.
- Mia Farley (37th, 19:08.1), Katelyn Campbell (48th, 19:28.1), Kayla Fields (53rd, 19:40.7), Kasey Rosenbaum (58th, 19:52.0) and Sylvia Hemmer (59th, 19:54.9) also competed for the Highlanders. The showings were personal best from Farley, Campbell, Rosenbaum and Hemmer.
- As a team, the Radford women raced to the bronze with 89 points to claim third overall. It was the third straight year that the Highlanders have placed third and RU has now finished third or better in five consecutive years.
- It was then time for the Radford men, who were paced by Asrael Cabusao in 13th overall with a time of 24:56.7. The run was one of the best in school history as the mark ranks fourth all-time at the 8K distance. Cabusoa was the fourth freshman finisher at the championship and earned All-Conference Second Team honors.
- Maxton Sowers also had a strong outing in 18th overall at 25:18.2.
- Clay Kelly (28th, 25:54.1), Liam McDonald (36th, 26:27.3) and Charlie Dance (44th, 26:51.1) combined for the rest of Radford's scoring-five while Logan Hamilton (47th, 27:06.8) and Hayat Khan (49th, 27:08.9) rounded out the top-seven.
- As a group, the men took fourth overall with 126 points. It was the third straight year that the Highlanders have finished in fourth-place.
MEN'S RESULTS
13. Azrael Cabusao: 24:56.7$
18. Maxton Sowers: 25:18.2
28. Clay Kelly: 25:54.1
36. Liam McDonald: 26:27.3
44. Charlie Dance: 26:51.1
47. Logan Hamilton: 27:06.8
49. Hayat Khan: 27:08.9
65. Jack Benoit: 28:41.8
66. Ryan Connelly: 28:43.3
WOMEN'S RESULTS
9. Kate McLearen: 17:46.2*$
15. Leonora Lynn: 18:07.8*
17. Sienna Bailey: 18:13.9*
22. Megan Cash: 18:30.6*
26. Claire Keefe: 18:40.6*
37. Mia Farley: 19:08.1*
48. Katelyn Campbell: 19:28.1*
53. Kayla Fields: 19:40.7
58. Kasey Rosenbaum: 19:52.0*
59. Sylvia Hemmer: 19:54.9*
* Personal Best | $ Top-10 Mark in School History
MEN'S TEAM SCORES (POINTS)
1. Charleston Southern (36)
2. High Point (41)
3. UNC-Asheville (58)
4. Radford (126)
5. Longwood (145)
6. USC Upstate (153)
7. Winthrop (221)
8. Gardner-Webb (224)
9. Presbyterian (282)
WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES (POINTS)
1. High Point (22)
2. Charleston Southern (39)
3. Radford (89)
4. UNC-Asheville (126)
5. Longwood (129)
6. USC Upstate (172)
7. Winthrop (183)
8. Gardner-Webb (184)
9. Presbyterian (286)
NEXT UP
The Highlanders will take a short break from competition before returning with the 2024 NCAA Division I Southeast Regional, set for Friday, November 15 at Winthrop Farm in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The women's 6K championship race will get the day started at 10:30 AM ET, followed by the men's 10k title race at 11:30 AM.
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