CLINTON, Miss. - The Xavier men's and women's cross country teams completed their 2026 campaigns Friday morning at the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship Meet.
Both the men's and women's races took place at Mississippi Christian University's Choctaw Trails Course.
In the men's race, team captain Benjamin Ford notched a top-30 finish, crossing the finish line in 28:05.4, his fastest run of the season.
Also representing the Gold Rush were Ra'Shad Cure (49th, 30:46.70), Ivory Montgomery (51st, 30:16.6), Kasen Robinson (64th, 32:44.6), Kamal Webb (65th, 32:55.3), and Jaylan Babineaux (74th, 36:44.9). Cure, Robinson, and Babineaux all posted personal bests.
The Gold Rush placed 8th out of 11 squads in the team competition, which was won by UT Southern.
In the women's race, Kayla Garrett was Xavier's top finisher, placing 44th in 28:20.4, followed closely by Alexandria Pierson in 46th with a run of 28:33.8. Both runners' times were personal bests.
Also representing XULA were Jayda Love (51st, 28:58.3), Chris-Ann Edwards (58th, 29:59.1), and Madison Marshall (67th, 39:18.1).
Like their male counterparts, the Gold Nuggets placed 8th in the women's team competition, which featured 10 teams. William Carey won the women's team competition.
Complete results from both the men's and women's races are available on the AthleticLive website.
Individual Award Winners Announced
Six XULA runners - three apiece on the men's and women's side - were honored with various awards at the conclusion of Friday's competition.
Ford was named as Xavier's representative on the Men's Cross Country Champions of Character Team, while Love was the honoree on the Women's Cross Country Champions of Character Team.
Edwards and Leojai Hibbert earned Women's Cross Country Academic All-Conference honors, while Ovane Williams and Jaheene Bell were Academic All-Conference performers on the men's side.
