Men's CAC Championship Preview
Women's CAC Championship Preview
HERSHEY, PA. -- The Christopher Newport cross country teams will look to defend their league titles on Saturday when the Captains take part in the Capital Athletic Conference Championships at the Hershey Entertainment Complex in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The meet, which will be hosted by Penn State Harrisburg, will kick off with the men's 8k at 11 a.m. The women will hit the course for the 6k at noon.
The women's team will look to capture its fourth straight conference title since joining the Capital in 2013. Meanwhile, the men are hoping to repeat as league champions after winning their first CAC title last year. Previously, the squad had finished second during each of its first two seasons in the conference. Both the men and women were tabbed as preseason favorites in the CAC Coaches Poll earlier in the year.
Entering the conference meet, the men are currently ranked 25th in the latest USTFCCCA National Poll and are slotted second in the South / Southeast. The Captains have been led by junior
Grayson Reid, who is the defending CAC individual champion. Last year, he won the league title after finishing the race in 25:21. This year, he has been even stronger and established a new program record in the 8k after registering a time of 24:43 during Lehigh's Paul Short Run earlier this month.
Along with Reid, Christopher Newport features six other returning All-Conference performers from last year.
Andrew Benfer,
Billy Rabil, and
Daniel Read all joined Reid on the first-team All-CAC squad, while
Peyton Artz,
Jeff Dover, and
Charlie Pruitt were all second-team honorees in 2015.
Equally stocked on the women's side, CNU welcomes back four of the top-12 performers from last year's conference championship.
Logan Harrington headlines the returners after placing third at the 2015 meet with a time of 23:05.
Abigail May and
Briana Stewart joined her on the first-team All-Conference squad, while
Emmie Schmitt secured second-team accolades for her work.
In addition to the veteran standouts, the Captains feature an impressive crop of first-year performers.
Jessica Lee is a two-time CAC Athlete of the Week and notched the program's ninth-fastest time in the 6k during the Paul Short Run after finishing in 22:38. Fellow freshman
Gena Lewis also boasts a season-best time of 23:28 in the 6k, which places her 19th on CNU's all-time performance list.
Following the CAC Championships, Christopher Newport will return to action on November 12 for the South / Southeast Regionals in Mount Berry, Georgia. The NCAA Championships are slated for November 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.
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