DAYTON, Tenn. – Maryville College Cross Country's men's and women's teams showed grit and determination against Tennessee Wesleyan as they put up good performances while facing a tough, hilly course along with hot temperatures.
The women's team dominated in this race, winning their first race since 2019 and scoring a team record for best team score with 15 points. Megan Shinn finished in 1st place with a 21:17 in the 5K, recording the 8th-best 5K time in school history. She also became the first Maryville female runner to individually win a race since 2021 and is now the 5th-best performer in program history. Catherine Money (2nd, 22:45) and Maddie Adair (6th, 23:51) both recorded college XC PRs, and Megan Shinn (1st, 21:17) and Emma Lathinghouse (5th, 23:36) both recorded all-time XC PRs. 
Reflecting on the race, Shinn said, "The race today was tough with it being such a hot day, but the amazing energy and encouragement from everyone helped me push through. It felt great to start the season off with a cross country 5k PR and as a top finisher. I'm especially proud of our team today for doing so well despite how hilly and hot the course was. Everyone did a very good job of pacing and pushing themselves to allow us to finish in first place overall. This race was a great start to the season, so I can't wait to see how much we all continue to improve from here!"
The men's team secured a 2nd-place finish with 38 points. Erik Trejo led the team with a fifth-place finish in the 5K, posting a time of 18:09, the 10th-best time in program history. Adyn Elliott followed in 6th at 18:12, while Tyler Tangel (8th, 18:18), Dylan Hall (9th, 18:31), and James LeNeve (10th, 18:33) rounded out the team's scoring group.
Trejo said, "It feels good being the top finisher for the team today."
Head coach Carringer-Adams highlighted the importance of competing on a challenging course, saying, "Today's race was on a course that was tough with hills and uneven ground as well as hot temperatures, but I think tough courses are important because it shows which athletes have grit and is less focused on time and more on placement - real racing. Our goal was to run in packs and we had a good start to that goal today. We will continue to work on running together and being confident during our races to make moves throughout these next two weeks before our next race. This group proved today that they have potential to be the best MC has ever had even as a young group, so we are going to keep pushing to reach everyone's full potential because that's what we strive to do each season."
After a tough race day in challenging conditions, the Scots will turn their focus toward the Mike and Mary Johnson Classic in two weeks in Berea, Kentucky.
