Wingate, NC- Today, the Trailblazer Women's Cross Country team and reigning Conference Carolinas Champions toed the line at the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships hosted by Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina. The women tied their program record finish from last year, finishing 7
th out of 24 teams from all over the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida.
Crossing the line first for the Trailblazers was freshman
Mandi Pollard, who finished in 26
th place with a time of 23:16 for the 6,000-meter distance. Close behind her was junior
Riley Shope, who finished in 33
rd place with a time of 23:36. Next, junior
Cecily Anderton finished in 47
th place with a time of 23:54. Crossing the line in fourth for the Trailblazers was senior
Riley Nicholson, who finished in 65
th place with a time of 24:20. Rounding out the top five was senior
Paris Alsup, who finished in 87
th place with a time of 24:55. Other Trailblazer runners include junior
Addison Martin and senior
Michaela Lanier, who finished in 96
th and 100
th place and ran times of 25:06 and 25:18, respectively.
From head coach Cameron Stober:
"Our women's team has dealt with a lot of injuries and sickness throughout the course of the season. We came into this weekend without one of our top runners. In all honesty, I felt like a top-10 finish would've been a great day for us. Our women were ranked ninth coming into the weekend, and they were able to finish seventh. That ties our highest team finish at a region meet (last year) without one of our top runners and a lot of our girls dealing with an injury or sickness. These ladies have shown a lot of toughness throughout the course of this season.
They have put in so much work dating back to the early part of the summer. They have remained committed and consistent. These student athletes have represented our program and NGU well. I'm so proud of them."
That concludes the cross country season for the Trailblazers. Next, they will take a short break before beginning to train for the 2026 track season.
