A sunny day in Macon, Ga. shined bright on some Ospreys today as the men’s cross country team swooped in and took home the ASUN championship title.

With star runner Nathan Jubran leading the charge for the Ospreys once again with an 8k time of 24:38.4, the top four men’s runners to cross the finish line were all Ospreys. The team performance proved that the Ospreys were well prepared for the meet after only competing in two events before today’s race.

Aidan O’Gorman finished in second place with a time of 25:09.6, and Leo Queyrou finished in third place with 25:13.5. The nearest non-Osprey to finish was over 40 seconds behind Jubran at 25:20.4.

Click here for men’s official standings and race times.

With the individual performance, Jubran also picked up ASUN men’s cross country runner of the year.

Ranked number two in the ASUN preseason rankings behind Lipscomb, the Ospreys were led by head coach Jeff Pigg and trained hard in preparation for the cross country championships. After opting out of the indoor championships, coach Pigg said before the race that his team knew they had to train hard and rise to the occasion to capture the title.

“This group of runners have put in the work. It was up to each individual to do their part for the team even though they were quarantined and training alone.” Pigg said, “They met the challenge as we have seen since being back on campus.”

It all paid off for coach Pigg in the end as he was named ASUN men’s cross country coach of the year.

On the women’s side, it was Liberty who took the ASUN championship title with six runners placing inside the top eight. Liberty was led by ASUN women’s cross country runner of the year Adelyn Ackley who posted a 5k time of 17:43.3. Liberty coach Rachel Johnson won ASUN women’s coach of the year.

This marked Ackley’s second consecutive ASUN cross country title, winning last year’s championships as well.

The Ospreys as a team placed third, with Osprey runner Lydia Van Dijk leading the charge with a ninth-place finish at 18:32.7. Ranked fourth in the preseason polls, the Ospreys improved their position after a shortened season.

Click here for women’s official race times and standings.

Coach Pigg and his teams will now get ready to start the outdoor season, which begins March 27 at the FSU Invite.

___

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.