Cross Country Teams Both Advance to Regionals
MC XC looks back on their GSC meet performance and ahead to regional competition.
The Mississippi College cross country teams both placed third in their Gulf South Conference meet Saturday, October 26. The meet was hosted at Choctaw Trails, after Valdosta State was unable to host the conference meet due to Hurricane Helene.
The weather was warm from the start, even during the men’s race that began at 8:30. The men competed in an 8k for the championship. They fell short to Lee University, who won their ninth straight title. The MC team came up 26 points shy of second place behind Alabama-Huntsville.
Individually, Christian Balcer, Cooper Parmer, and Braedon Methvin all placed within the top 15, at 12th, 13th, and 15th places, respectively, within a span of eight seconds. Senior Preston Speed came in fourth for MC in 19th place, and fifth-year Brock Kelly rounded out the scoring group in 27th.
The top five all finished within a span of 52 seconds of each other, with Balcer leading the pack with a time of 24:34.6. The individual men’s winner was Sam Wilhelm from Alabama-Huntsville with a time of 23.52.9.
Balcer was overall happy with his performance. However, he believes he could have executed his race plan better.
“I need to focus on racing people and not the clock,” Balcer said. “It was hard to race people in the middle of the race when the move was being made because I had used so much energy in the first two miles.”
“These races will continue to get longer as the season goes on, so we need to be present and aware in the middle of the race,” Balcer said. “A lot of times that is the hardest part of a race, the middle.”
Balcer said he has been enjoying every practice, and he’s excited for regionals. “I am most excited for the chance for our team to qualify for nationals. It has been a hard season adjusting to change and the workload, but if we achieve qualifying, that would be huge for our program. Lots of work to be taken care of in two weeks.”
The women’s 6k began at 9:15. The women’s team also fell short to Lee as well as Alabama-Huntsville. Lee won their eight straight title with a perfect score of fifteen. Alabama-Huntsville came in next with a score of seventy-two, and MC was thirty-two points behind.
Individually, junior Taylor Benoit led the Choctaws in 6th place with a time of 22.14.40. Freshmen Kathryn Finch and Kinley Harris finished behind Benoit in 16th and 20th. Junior Ava Wardlaw and senior Caroline Dooling rounded out the scoring squad, finishing just two seconds apart in 35th and 37th, respectively.
Shana Sellers, one of Mississippi College’s top runners, had to end her meet short after an injury. She is hoping to be back for regionals.
The top five finished within a span of 2:15 and with an average time of 23:52. The individual women’s winner was Aria Hawkins from Lee with a time of 20:45.3 – thirty-one seconds faster than second place.
Benoit, MC’s top finisher, was proud of the team as a whole. “It was a really awesome experience to host a conference at our very own home course and to compete with some very talented girls in our conference,” Benoit said. “It was a huge blessing to do this with my girls and be there for each other after!”
However, Benoit has made it clear the girls aren’t done yet. “I think I'm most excited to see the fire within our team,” Benoit said. “We've faced many obstacles throughout the season, and I think we all are ready to show everyone how strong and resilient we truly are. We will work for the next two weeks, and I think it will be something special to see when we get to regionals.”
“It's so easy as an athlete to get wrapped up in self success, but we do this for one another,” Benoit said. “It makes me so happy to be a part of something so special and competing for a greater purpose than myself.”
Balcer had similar sentiments, expressing his gratitude for the team’s culture. “I am just thankful for the environment and platform Mississippi College XC/TF gives us to be able to show Christ’s love,” Balcer said. “I think that is something special about our team; we are good at servant leadership towards each other on the team and others’ teams. The greatest thing is we know we can only achieve that through Jesus and the example he gives us.”
This was Coach Webber’s first time head-coaching the Choctaws. With both teams advancing to regionals, his first season is still in progress. The Choctaws will race again Saturday, November 9 in Huntsville, Alabama.