Senior Spotlight: Cross Country

2023 Cross Country Senior Spotlight

These two seniors have been staples of the Piedmont University Cross Country program for the past five years. Making record setting impacts, Ponce and Halverson have seen a rise of dominance from the program throughout their years, including the transition from the USA South to the Collegiate Conference of the South. Halverson played a major role in the men's program's second place finish in at the conference championship in 2022 while Ponce led the Lions to the school's first ever CCS Championship that same year.

Halverson made an immediate impact after landing in Demorest in 2019, placing 14th overall at the USA South Championships as a freshman. He continued to progress over the course of his career and was named to the USA South All-Conference Second Team twice during his career. Saving his best for last, Halverson set his personal best in the 8K this season at the UNG Invitational with a 26:03.4. The time put him just three seconds away from holding the Piedmont school record in the men's 8K. Gary plans to graduate in the spring of 2024 with a degree in fine arts. 

Ponce's career at Piedmont has been one of the most historic of any student-athlete in recent memory. Among the many achievements from her, the 2022 CCS Cross Country Runner of the Year award stands as one of the most distinguished she's added to her collection. On the course, Ponce holds record in both the 4K and 5K while also being the second woman in history to represent Piedmont in the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championship. She earned this honor following a dominant 2022 season in the CCS. Jaycie plans to graduate in the spring of 2024 with a master's degree in speech language pathology.