WHEELING, W.Va. — The Davis & Elkins College women's cross country team captured its second consecutive Mountain East Conference Championship on Saturday morning at Oglebay Resort, while the men's squad earned a strong runner-up finish to Charleston in the conference meet.
The women's team dominated the field with five top-11 finishes, compiling 32 points to claim the championship ahead of Point Park with 88 and Charleston with 103. Senior Lauren Twyman led the Senators with a runner-up finish in a time of 22:45.77. Lydia Falkenstein followed close behind in fourth place, crossing the line in 23:15.68.
MEC Commissioner Reid Amos presents
Coach Jason Pyles with the Women's
Coach of the Year award.
Rebecca Tellez finished seventh with a time of 23:28.88, while Savanna Hardman placed eighth in 23:35.27. Jeanne Pelissier secured 11th overall, running 23:46.77 to complete the scoring five for D&E. Zoe Belshan took 15th in 24:12.49, followed by Cameryn Wheeler in 27th at 24:49.85. Brooke Jacobs, Quinn Hazelett, and Sierra Taylor also added depth for the Senators as they claimed back-to-back conference titles.
Twyman, Falkenstein, Tellez, and Hardman were each named to the All-MEC First Team, while Pelissier and Belshan earned Second Team recognition. Head coach Jason Pyles was named MEC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second straight season. The honor comes in Pyles' 10th year leading the Senators program.
On the men's side, the Senators finished second overall with 47 points, trailing only Charleston's 27. D&E's top five runners all placed inside the top 16. Senior Cooper Gibson led the way with a fifth-place finish in 26:30.2. Christopher Lucas followed in seventh with a time of 26:33.5, and Jordan Thomas was eighth in 26:34.3.
Konnor Allison placed 11th in 26:49.9, while freshman Jacob Dowdy completed the scoring with a 16th-place finish in 27:06.1. Tommy Bildheiser took 18th in 27:06.7, and Slate Swiger followed in 22nd in 27:12.3. Andrew Bowen placed 25th, Fletcher Van Heuven was 26th, and Nick Gallo finished 39th as the Senators rounded out a solid team performance.
Gibson, Lucas, and Thomas each earned All-MEC First Team honors after their top-10 finishes, while Allison, Dowdy, and Bildheiser were recognized on the All-MEC Second Team.
Charleston's Hugo Hewitt won the men's individual title in 26:23 and was named MEC Runner of the Year, while teammate Harry Witt earned Freshman of the Year honors.
With the conference meet complete, Davis & Elkins will now turn its focus toward the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.
All-MEC Honorees
Women's First Team:
Women's Second Team:
Men's First Team:
Men's Second Team:
Click here to view the full results.
