Wingate Wins Fifth Straight SAC Men's Cross Country Championship

GREENEVILLE, TN - Wingate University captured the 2025 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship on Saturday morning, edging out Anderson by just one point in a thrilling finish at the league championship meet.

The Bulldogs placed five runners inside the top 18 to secure the team crown with 36 points, while the Trojans finished close behind with 37 points. Catawba placed third with 67 points, followed by Lincoln Memorial in fourth with 125 and UVA Wise in fifth with 163.

Junior Samuel Gilson led the way for Wingate, taking the individual title with a time of 26:12.31, earning him SAC Men's Runner of the Year honors. Teammate David Holman finished second in 26:26.98, giving the Bulldogs a strong 1–2 punch at the front of the pack.

Anderson's Elliot Dotson (26:39.27) crossed in third to pace the Trojans, followed closely by Wingate's Alexis Collomb (26:43.22) and Lincoln Memorial's Jaxson Branham (26:43.34) rounding out the top five.

Anderson placed four runners in the top eight, including Spain Vaughan (6th), William Cronin (7th), and Grayson Gibbons (8th), earning Head Coach Kevin Eagle the honor of SAC Men's Coach of the Year.

Catawba's trio of Will Lyons (9th), James Shue (10th), and Ian Pierce (12th) helped the Catawba Indians secure a solid third-place team finish.

Freshman Grayson Gibbons of Anderson was named the SAC Men's Freshman Runner of the Year, while Chad Douglas of UVA Wise earned the SAC Wealth Enhancement Group Elite 23 Award for his excellence in academics and athletics.

2025 All-South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Teams

All-SAC First Team
Samuel Gilson, Wingate
David Holman, Wingate
Elliot Dotson, Anderson
Alexis Collomb, Wingate
Jaxson Branham, Lincoln Memorial
Spain Vaughan, Anderson
William Cronin, Anderson

All-SAC Second Team
Grayson Gibbons, Anderson
Will Lyons, Catawba
James Shue, Catawba
Thomas Bentley, Wingate
Ian Pierce, Catawba
Joey Tindale, Anderson
Seth Caudill, Catawba

All-SAC Third Team
Angel Galan, Anderson
Nathan Buckeridge, Tusculum
Miles Baldwin, Emory & Henry
Alejandro Berrio, Wingate
Oskar Enseling, Wingate
Charlie Stephenson, Wingate
Jonah Adams, UVA Wise

SAC All-Freshman Team
Grayson Gibbons, Anderson
Seth Begley, Catawba
Charlie Kyberd, Wingate
Julio Espinoza, Wingate
Dylan Colander, UVA Wise

Major Awards
SAC Men's Runner of the Year – Samuel Gilson, Wingate
SAC Men's Freshman Runner of the Year – Grayson Gibbons, Anderson
SAC Men's Coach of the Year – Kevin Eagle, Anderson
SAC Wealth Enhancement Group Elite 23 Award – Chad Douglas, UVA Wise

Team Results

1. Wingate – 36

2. Anderson – 37

3. Catawba – 67

4. Lincoln Memorial – 125

5. UVA Wise – 163

6. Emory & Henry – 168

7. Tusculum – 178

8. Mars Hill – 181

9. Newberry – 299

10. Carson-Newman – 303

11. Lenoir-Rhyne – 330

12. Coker – 349