MACON, Ga. – Senior
Carly Fuel recorded Lander women's cross country's highest individual finish at the Peach Belt Conference Championships in 34 years, placing second in Saturday's 5K race at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course to lead the Bearcats to a sixth-place team finish.
Fuel crossed the line in 18:23.9, finishing behind only Augusta's Gabby Jourdain, who claimed the individual championship in 17:59.6.
The runner-up finish was the highest by a Lander runner since Fain Kapeluck won the individual championship in 1992 and marked the program's first second-place finish since Jennifer Wilson accomplished the feat at the inaugural PBC Championships in 1991.
Both performances came during one of the most successful stretches in program history, when Lander captured three consecutive PBC women's cross country team championships from 1991-93.
Fuel's performance adds another milestone to a historic senior season. The West Columbia, S.C., native has broken three school records this fall, lowering her own 6K mark at the Furman Invitational on Sept. 12 before breaking the program's 5K record in consecutive races at the Royals XC Challenge and Coker Cobras XC Invitational.
Behind Fuel,
Amara Hille was the next Bearcat across the line, finishing 39th in 20:34.6. Freshman
Kayla Kerkofsky followed in 46th with a time of 20:49.9, while senior
Madeline Beal placed 55th in 21:16.2.
Callie McElroy rounded out Lander's scoring five with a 61st-place finish in 21:42.3.
Hannah Hall crossed the line in 62nd at 21:43.9, followed by
Faye Brooks in 75th at 22:47.2.
Nazareth Godinez finished 79th in 22:59.5, while
Kaelynn Larose completed the Bearcats' lineup with an 85th-place finish in 24:12.7.
Lander totaled 155 points to finish sixth in the 11-team field. Augusta claimed the conference championship with 40 points, narrowly edging Flagler, which finished second with 43. Georgia College rounded out the top three with 76 points.
The Bearcats will now prepare for the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on Nov. 21 at Milliken Arboretum in Spartanburg, S.C.
