HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (September 14, 2025) – The University of North Alabama cross country teams had their ups and downs at the Southern Showcase. The men placed 20th, while the women finished 34th.
Results faced delays due to technical issues and were only released on Sunday.
Sophomore Brian Bett stood out for the men, finishing 18th with a time of 24:03.04. This was almost identical to his performance from last year, where he came in eighth.
For the women, sophomore Sandra Maiyo was impressive, securing 20th place with a time of 17:13.6—just four seconds shy of the program record set by Teresa Steele.
Bett improved significantly from last week, shaving off nearly 28 seconds from his UNA Invitational time. Maiyo also had a personal best, running 17:35.01, nearly 22 seconds faster than her previous best.
In the men’s race, there were 459 finishers. Besides Bett, sophomore Aidan Shannon cracked the top 100, finishing 83rd with a personal best of 25:01.10—an improvement of 1:16 from last year’s debut.
Three freshmen also found their rhythm, with reigning ASUN Freshman of the Week Jack Gruber finishing at 25:46.89, Cole Smith at 26:26.06, and Owen Otto at 26:40.69. Sophomore Sammy Sang beat his previous week’s record by 41 seconds, finishing with a time of 26:12.7.
The women’s race had 481 finishers, nearly 30 more than in 2024. Maiyo led the pack, followed closely by junior Camille Etheridge and freshman Audrey Becker. Etheridge finished in 19:19.51, her fastest time at this event by nearly a minute.
Freshman Cambree Bradford also achieved a personal best, finishing in 22:05.8, 21 seconds faster than her previous time.
The North Alabama men finished with 563 points, surpassing teams like Western Kentucky and South Florida. Alabama won the event with just 32 points. Meanwhile, the women amassed 1021 points, outperforming teams like Troy.
Looking ahead, the Lions will take a break before competing in the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Missouri, on September 26.
According to recent data, cross country participation in college sports has been steadily increasing, with a 15% rise over the past five years. This trend shows that more students are drawn to the sport, reflecting a growing interest in fitness and competition.
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