Richmond, Ky. (October 30, 2026) – The University of North Alabama cross country teams competed in the first-ever United Athletic Conference Championship on Friday morning in Richmond, Ky. where the women placed eighth and the men placed fifth.

The women ran a 5K starting at 8:00 a.m. and the men ran an 8K starting at 8:45 a.m.

The Lions raced a tough course in Richmond at the University Club at Arlington. The course had multiple hills with steep inclines for runners to battle.

For the women, junior Sandra Maiyo crossed the line first with a time of 19:14.2 and placed 24th. Following her was freshman Katie Dumas running her fastest 5K time of the season at 20:21.9 to place 41st.

Junior Alexis Renn was the next Lion to cross the finish line with a time of 20:34.6. She placed 47th and earned the Lions 43 points. Rounding out the scoring five was freshman Elena Johnston placing 49th with a time of 20:37.6, and freshman Aimee Von Herrmann placed just outside the top-50 with a time of 20:45.4.

The women were able to best West Georgia. Eastern Kentucky placed first scoring a solid 20 points.

For the men, junior Brian Bett ran a speedy 8K time of 24:44.7 and placed seventh, earning himself first team all-conference honors. Bett's fastest 8K time of the year was at the previous race the Kennemer Classic with a time of 23:41.6 that would have had him winning the UAC Championship ahead of the fastest EKU runner by over 10 seconds.

Following Bett was senior transfer Nathan Buckeridge placing 18th with a time of 25:44.1. Buckeridge was just outside the top-15 that would have earned him all-conference honors.

Junior Vincent Chepkwony placed 28th with a time of 26:13.4. Closely behind was senior Brent Lyons placing 30th with a time of 26:24.9. Rounding out the scoring five was sophomore Jack Gruber placing 32nd with a time of 26:29.0.

North Alabama defeated Austin Peay, Little Rock, West Georgia, and Tarleton State by large margins. The Lions fell just three points shy of fourth place. Eastern Kentucky scored a perfect 15 on its home course. Bett was fastest non-EKU runner of the day.

"Two girls took a fall during the race including Katie Dumas with 100 meters to go. She still had a good day on a tough course," said UNA head coach Connor Callahan. "We will only get better as we get more experience. Six of the nine girls ran in a postseason meet for the first time today. These experiences will help the betterment of the team in the future. The men had a plan heading into the race and we fell short of the expectations we had for ourselves. We learned today what it takes, and we aren't far off where we think we can be."

The Lions' next race will be in Tallahassee, Fla. for the 2026 NCAA South Regional on Nov.13.

For live results to the UAC Championship, click here.
 
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