GREENVILLE, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's cross country team finished third overall at The 2024 Southern Conference (SoCon) Championships on Saturday at Furman Golf Course.
The Spartans' third-place finish is the best mark since the 2012* season when UNCG was crowned champion. This is the fifth* time in program history that UNCG has finished third or better.
Furman earned its 12th-straight title with 15 points. Western Carolina was the runner-up with 94 points, while the Spartans totaled 108 points, good for third.
Senior
Colin Keck led the charge for the Blue & Gold, finishing 12
th out of 80 competitors, for the best SoCon Championship finish in his career. He clocked in a time of 25:10.5 in the eight-kilometer race and earned his first-career All-Conference second team award. This is the third-straight year and seventh time in eight years that UNCG has had at least one Spartan make an All-Conference team.
Juniors
Andrew Hamilton and
Luke Ward were the next Spartans across the finish line, placing 22
nd and 23
rd, respectively. Hamilton ran the race in 25:46.7, while Ward clocked in a time of 25:50.4. Both marks were career-bests for the juniors.
The Spartans had another duo who finished back-to-back, including freshman
Logan Ruffner and sophomore
Tyler Niloff, taking 29
th and 30
th place, respectively. Ruffner clocked in a time of 26:04.9 and Niloff finished the race in 26:06.9. Ruffner earned a spot on the All-Freshman team and is the first Spartan to earn the honor since 2018 when UNCG had two placed on the team.
Junior
Evan Pena placed 37
th overall with a time of 26:30.6 and senior
Ethan Long rounded out the team points, finishing 45
th with a time of 26:54.8.
Sophomore
Khalid Abdullahi (50
th place) and freshman
Pierson Guerrant (51
st place) rounded out the Spartan runners.
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The 2024 NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships will follow on Friday, Nov. 15 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at Winthrop Farm.
NOTE: The 2011 SoCon Championship was later vacated.
