INFO | SAC XC Championship results
 
Newberry, S.C.----Wingate University junior Will Aitken won the individual title, pacing the No. 1 Bulldogs to their fourth straight South Atlantic Conference men's cross country championship at the The Farm Saturday. Aitken's 8K time of 23:46.00 was six seconds faster than sophomore teammate Joaquin Campos' second-place time of 23:52.09.
 
Wingate had five of the top eight runners and seven of the top 10 to finish with 19 points. Anderson was a distant second with 61 markers. Ten Bulldogs started the race and 10 WU harriers made the three All-SAC teams. Four made the first team, four made the second team and two made the third team.
 
Meet Information

Top five teams: Wingate (19 points), Anderson (61), Catawba (84), Lincoln Memorial (129) and Emory & Henry (151)
Individual finishers: 100 student-athletes representing 13 schools
Location: The Farm, Newberry, South Carolina (Newberry College, host)
 
Quotables
 
Wingate head coach Pol Domenech
 
"The men executed the race incredibly well and crowded the front spots of the race. Will (Aitken) made the decisive move around the 6K mark and really made the race honest. We are so proud to see these men be able to pack it up so well together. We are looking forward to the last two races of the season! A big thank you to Newberry for hosting an amazing championship for all of the South Atlantic Conference's cross country student-athletes."
 
Wingate junior Will Aitken
 
"I'm thrilled with today's race. Winning individually, but more importantly, securing the team victory, is a memory I'll carry with me forever. I want to thank each of my 70 teammates and our coaches for coming out, supporting us and creating an unforgettable atmosphere. Every single person has been crucial to our team's success this year. Now…on to regionals!"
 
Inside the 8K Race Results
 
- Junior Lars Laros gave the Bulldogs a podium clean sweep, as he finished third
- Laros posted an 8K time of 24:06.70, 23 seconds better than the fourth-place finisher
- Anderson junior Spain Vaughn claimed the aforementioned fourth spot (24:29.61)
- WU junior Daniel Schmidt rounded out the top five with his 8K time of 24:34.10
 
Notables
 
- Aitken, Campos, Laros and Schmidt made first team All-SAC
- Senior Leo Freeland led WU's second team All-SAC brigade
- Freeland finished eighth, thanks to his 8K time of 24:37.47
- Interestingly enough, he finished eighth in the '23 SAC meet (23:25.1 PR)
- Freeland was Wingate's SAC Elite 23 nominee for men's cross country
- He holds a 3.960 cumulative GPA with his political science major
- Senior Cas Kopmels and sophomore Emanuele Ferrari finished ninth and 10th, respectively
- Kopmels finished 0.05 seconds ahead of Ferrari (24:41.60 to 24:41.65)
- Freshman Alexis Collomb rounded out WU's All-SAC second team honorees
- The Bulldog newcomer finished 14th with his 8K time of 24:48.42
- Sophomore David Holman was next, finishing 15th with his 24:51.01 clocking
- Freshman Matthew Brunnock placed 21st with his time of 25:28.23
- Brunnock took the seventh and last position on the All-SAC third team
 
Up Next - NCAA Southeast Regional XC meet Nov. 9

The defending region champions will compete in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Cross Country meet Saturday, November 9 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The championships are hosted by Converse University at the legendary Milliken Research Park.
The men's 10K race is slated for 10 a.m. The women's 6K race follows at 11:15 a.m.
 
The Bulldogs are the defending Southeast Region champions in both men's and women's cross country. The Wingate men won the '23 NCAA Division II national championship meet, while the Bulldog women claimed eighth place at the '23 NCAA event.

Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 26 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 16 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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