SALISBURY, N.C.- The NC Wesleyan men's Cross Country team traveled to Catawba College in Salisbury, NC for their first race of the season on Saturday, and they performed admirably.  The men raced first, and the distance they ran was an 8K.

The men finished 6th out of 11 teams, behind 3 DII teams while they team beat 2 DII teams and 2 teams from the USA South Conference, with one of the teams that were picked preseason ahead of the NCWC men. Host Catawba won the meet edging out Lees-McCrae.

Freshman Connor Hayes led the men's team with a time (29:26) that has placed him as the 3rd fastest runner in NC Wesleyan history as he placed 17th overall. He was followed by freshman Thomas Guadelupe-Johnson, who placed 41st in 31:19 and sophomore Christian Tippette who was 44th in 31:25. Those two are now ranked 5th and 6th on the record board. The top 5 were filled in with freshmen Terenthen Parker who finished 51st overall in 32:24 and Isaac Hall who was 53rd in 32:33. 

Freshmen Keyonte Williams, Jeshon Smith, and Brandon Hester also ran for the Bishops. Williams ran a time of 33:33 to place 62nd out of 98 while Smith was 77th in 36:50. Hester also ran a time of 45:15

The men are next competing at the Adidas Challenge on Sept. 14 at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.