HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (September 13, 2024) – The University of North Alabama cross country teams competed in the Southern Showcase Friday morning, continuing a three-race streak of top half finishes this season. Both the teams finished inside the top 25 with the men placing 13th and the women 24th. 

Freshman Brian Bett set the school 8K record with a time of 24:08.14 to win the UNA Invitational last week. Bett reset it this week with a time of 24:02.36 best for eighth place in the showcase. 

Bett was in a pack that included runners from Georgia and Georgia Tech before he broke away to best Georgia's Ryan Olree by nearly four seconds and Georgia Tech's Devin Wade by nearly six seconds. Georgia Tech placed third as a team, while Georgia slides in at fifth in the meet. 

The men's division saw 457 finishing runners in the field with seven Lions finding the top half. While Bett placed eighth, fellow freshman Vincent Chepkwony also cracked the top 100 to finish 84th with a time of 25:26.48. Rogan Hanson is the other North Alabama runner to record a personal record for the Lions. He finished with a time of 28:04.64.

The women's division saw 457 finishing times, identical to the men. Three Lions found their way into the top half of the competition. Gracie Mathews carried the day with an 18:36.30 time in the 5K, which was good for the 128th slot. 

Seniors Laura Mobley and Emily Daniel both had season-best times with 18:45.71 and 19:24.42, respectively. The next two runners finalized the 24th spot with Ashlyn Anderson's time of 19:42.54 and Janeth Jepkirui's time of 19:47.90 on her birthday.

North Alabama men slotted into 13th place with a total of 396 points. The winning team, Alabama, finished with 41 total points. UNA bested Missouri St. Louis by 42 points to overtake the spot in the Showcase. The men also out-raced teams such as Troy, Memphis, Samford, WKU, Alabama A&M and Chattanooga, among others. The Lions also placed well ahead of opposing Atlantic Sun Conference competition such as Florida Gulf Coast who placed 20th, West Georgia in 28th and Austin Peay in 34th. 

The women do much of the same with a total of 697 points to beat out Alabama State in the 25th slot by 69 points. The UNA women also placed ahead of programs such as Memphis, Troy, Alabama A&M and ASUN foes Austin Peay and West Georgia. The Lions also beat out former ASUN member Kennesaw State by 70 points who finished 26th.

"Three weeks of racing showed today," Callahan said. "Racing on tired legs, I could see the team was tired today. A weekend off of racing is going to be great for this group as we look ahead to FSU."

A season ago, the Lions found themselves in identical position with running near the middle of the pack with a 14th place finish for the men and a 15th place finish for the women. The men finish one spot higher this season. However, the field nearly doubled with this season as only 32 teams contributed to the Showcase this season. Pre-race, 50-plus teams were slated to participate with 47 men's teams and 49 women's teams finalizing times. 

"Brian goes out and breaks the school record for the second week in a row," said head coach Connor Callahan. "The women are continuing to put races together. We are trending in the right direction if we can stay healthy. We belong in these races, and we need to believe that and compete with a stronger mindset."

Next up, the Lions have a week off before they head to the Sunshine State to participate in the FSU Pre-regional Meet in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday, Sept. 27 at Apalachee Regional Park.

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