OAKVILLE, Ala. – The William Carey Men's Cross Country Team totaled 65 points to finish in third place at the 2024 SSAC Cross-Country Championship.
 
"Our men had a solid day, but we just didn't have enough to bring home the trophy," said Coach Copper Herrington. "This is an extremely young team with a ton of growth and races ahead of them. We are learning every time we race, and the future is bright. We raced nine guys today with seven of them being either freshman or sophomores. Most of our team ran their first ever conference championship. We gave it our best effort and I am proud of the guys. Today was not our day but I cannot wait to continue the journey with this group of men as we work towards our goals."
 
Nathan Sury led the way for the Crusaders in the 8K event with a time of 25:51 to finish in fourth place. The top five finish qualified Sury for the 2024 NAIA Men's Cross-Country Championship in Columbia, Mo. on November 22.
 
Gavin Wheat also posted a top ten finish, placing tenth with a time of 26:13 with Luke Skinner crossing in a time of 26:42 to finish in sixteenth place. Coming in on the heels of Skinner was Matthew McGuire who finished with a time of 26:43.1.
 
Gift Mashilo followed Skinner and McGuire with a time of 26:43.4 to finish in eighteenth place while Owen Jensen posted a time of 27:06 to place twenty-third. Josiah Nobles and Ben Owens rounded things out for the Crusaders, posting times of 28:07 and 29:26, respectively.
 
At the conclusion of the championship, the SSAC announced its year end award winners with Sury and Wheat earning All-Conference honors with Mashilo being named SSAC Newcomer of the Year honors.