Top 10 Ranked NCAA Southeast Regional finish for Mars Hill Men's Cross Country
The Mars Hill men's cross country team had their highest team finish since 2017 and finished the season ranked 10th of 35 teams in the Southeast Region at the NCAA DII Southeast Regional Championship held in Wingate, NC during the running of the 10k race.
WINGATE, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's cross country team had their highest team finish since 2017 and finished the season ranked in the Top 10 teams in the Southeast Region at the NCAA DII Southeast Regional Championship held in Wingate, NC during the running of the 10k race. The Mars Hill men's team finished the season on a strong note as the 10th place ranked team out of 35 teams in the southeast region which is a large improvement from the 20th place finish last season. The Lions also finished 5th place among schools in the South Atlantic Conference.
On a rolling and curvy cross country race course, the Lions were led by a strong front pack of three - Justin Owens in 53rd and sophomores Brandon McNulty and Sean Sanchez in 56th and 60th. The top five scoring runners were rounded out by Matthew O'Connor and Braxton Cummings.
Justin Owens, Brandon McNulty, and Sean Sanchez have earned the athletic requirements to be honored with Academic-All American status at the conclusion of the fall semester by placing in the top 30% of NCAA Regional competition.
Thoughts from Coach Benge:
"What an exciting day in the comeback for Mars Hill Men's Cross Country! The guys moved up ten positions in the Southeast Regional from 20th place last year to 10th place this year with the highest team finish since 2017. Kudos to our top three guys today - Justin, Brandon, and Sean - ran nearly the entire race together and finished within seconds of each other to earn the athletic portion of an Academic All-American nomination. A solid race from Matt and an incredible final cross country race of his career from Braxton Cummings really helped secure the 10th place ranking for the men's team. With such a young team, we are excited to return the majority of our top seven runners and look to finish even higher next season! Watch out for Mars Hill Men's Cross Country in 2026!"
To view the full list of results, please click here.
The Mars Hill men's cross country team has concluded their 2025 fall season and will look forward to the upcoming Indoor Track & Field season with competition beginning in December.
