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Date: Oct. 30, 2021
Location: Rocky Mount, N.C. – Hosted by N.C. Wesleyan
Events:  Women 6k // Men 8k
Team Finishes: Women, 4^th of 14; Men, 4^th of 13
 
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Piedmont University women's cross country runner VAL ANGEL defended her title on Saturday to win the individual USA South Cross Country Championship, leading her Lions to a fourth-place finish.
 
Angel was victorious in last season's USA South West Division Championship meet, making her a two-time defending champion of the conference's championship weekend.
 
In this year's rendition, Angel captured the win by a 13-second margin over second place by clocking a 23:01.7 official time. That winning time shattered the previous school record, a 23:42.8 from Reese Bowles in 2016, by 41 seconds.
 
Tweet #

VAL ANGEL, 2021 USA South Women's Cross Country Meet Champion. @PiedmontLions @USTFCCCA #MadeInTheUSASouth pic.twitter.com/95ZkF2GGGL

— USA South Athletic Conference (@usa_south) October 30, 2021

 
The Duluth native has been the lead Piedmont runner for a couple of years now and has continued to improve along the way. The conference championship race marked the third race in a row in which Angel set a new personal-best time.
 
Her performance led the way for her teammates as junior JAYCIE PONCE powered through to a top-five finish with a 23:42.1 final time. That mark also eclipsed the previous school record and vaults Ponce up to second on the program's all-time list.
 
Not far behind were juniors ADDIE BOLTON and JOSEY GEORGE that placed 12^th and 13^th with respective times of 24:37.7 and 24:48.8. Each time marked a new personal-best for the two runners.
 
With their finishes, Angel and Ponce earned a place on the USA South All-Conference First Team list while Bolton and George raced their way to Second Team honors.
 
Juniors MADALYN WILLIAMS (51^st – 27:32.3), LEEANN LAWRENCE (53^rd – 27:43.7), and IMANI VINCENT (56^th – 27:52.9) rounded out the scoring for Piedmont to help the team to a fourth-place finish.
 
The Piedmont men followed the women with a fourth-place finish of their own, led by senior CONNOR MORANOS in seventh place with a 26:08.7 that vaults him to second on the program's all-time list.
 
Moranos' performance was good enough to earn him First Team All-Conference honors and fell just eight seconds off Bryce Griggs' current school record of 26:00.7.
 
Right behind Moranos was junior GARY HALVERSON with a personal-best 26:11.5 final time that landed him inside the top-10 in eighth place. Halverson was the highest finisher of those to earn Second Team All-Conference honors.
 
Piedmont's second wave of runners featured a huge group of Lions that saw six runners finish between 25^th and 31^st place. Junior CONNOR CREEDON led that brigade in 25^th with a 27:53.6, followed by junior DARIUS SMITH in 26^th with a 28:03.3.
 
Junior JACOB BALOT (27^th – 28:05.3) and senior COLE ELROD (28^th – 28:08.8) followed close behind along freshman JADON GONZALES (30^th – 28:13.6) to round out the scoring. Each of those three clocked personal-best times.
 
Junior NOAH IRWIN was just behind Gonzales in 31^st place with a 28:19.4.
 
With the postseason officially underway, both programs now shift their attention to the NCAA Regional Championships on November 13 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Piedmont competed at Milliken Research Park earlier this season at the South Region Preview event on September 18.
 
Complete women's results:
6k:
VAL ANGEL – 23:01.7 (Champion)
JAYCIE PONCE – 23:42.1 (First Team)
ADDIE BOLTON – 24:37.7 (Second Team)
JOSEY GEORGE – 24:45.8 (Second Team)
MADALYN WILLIAMS – 27:32.3
LEEANN LAWRENCE – 27:43.7
IMANI VINCENT – 27:52.9
RYLEIGH BELL – 28:11.9
SHYELLE DAVENPORT – 31:00.8
 
Complete men's results:
8k:
CONNOR MORANOS – 26:08.7 (First Team)
GARY HALVERSON – 26:11.5 (Second Team)
CONNOR CREEDON – 27:53.6
DARIUS SMITH – 28:03.0
JACOB BALOT – 28:05.3
COLE ELROD – 28:08.0
JADON GONZALES – 28:13.6
NOAH IRWIN – 28:19.4
WALKER CAPELLE – 28:35.7
TUCKER COX – 28:48.1
MAX MILLER – 28:57.2
MATTHEW GALE – 29:28.3
 

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