LOUISVILLE, KY. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's cross country team wrapped up the season taking home 19^th out of 32 teams at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky hosted by the University of Kentucky on Friday.
 
The Spartans' bested their finish from last season when they finished 20^th out of 30 teams. This is the best mark since 2013, when the team posted an 11^th-place mark. It was their first 10-kilometer race of the season.
 
UNCG totaled 589 points for 19^th place, while 2022 SoCon Championship Furman University placed eighth with 251 points and The Citadel took home 29^th with 828 points.
 
"We walk away from our 2022 cross country season with one of the best overall seasons in UNCG's past 10 years," stated Head Coach Kaleigh Roach. "I'm proud of these men and their dedication to being the best they can be on and off the course. I want to give a shout out to our veterans, Dylan Christopher and Joe Thoma, for helping lead the way and showing what's possible for this young team. There's no other crew I'd want to chase after big goals with!"
 
For the majority of the race, UNCG was 18^th as a team. Two of the Spartans finished in the top 100, including graduate students Dylan Christopher and Joe Thoma.
 
Christopher led the way for the Spartans, taking home 64^th overall out of 217 competitors. Christopher clocked in a career best time of 31:05.5 in his fourth NCAA Regional appearance. Christopher crossed the one-kilometer split in 94^th and quickly moved up to 63^rd at the six-kilometer split.
 
Thoma was the second Blue & Gold to cross the finish line as he placed 73^rd overall with a career best time of 31:24.5 in his second NCAA Regional appearance. After the one-kilometer mark, Thoma was 92^nd overall and then moved up 34 spots, good for 58^th.
 
Freshman Evan Pena in his first-collegiate NCAA Regional race, finished 144^th with a time of 33:11.9. This was also his first 10-kilometer race of his career. Classmate Luke Ward placed 148^th with a time of 33:19.3, also running his first 10-kilometer race of his career.
 
Sophomore Ethan Long finished 165^th overall with his time of 33:45.0 in his second-career NCAA Regional appearance. Freshman Jack Burgener placed 184^th, while classmate Zachary Taylor finished 194^th.