MACON, Ga. – The Spring Hill College cross country team competed in the 2025 SIAC Cross Country Championship presented by Toyota. Cecilia Light and Evelyn Hererra both qualified for the NCAA Division II South Regional at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course.

On the women's side, the Badgers placed fifth out of 14 scoring teams with 151 points. Cecilia Light (20:10.59) and Evelyn Hererra (22:10.91) led the women's team and qualified for the NCAA South Regional, finishing in fifth and 18th place, respectively. Light's finish also earned her a SIAC All-Conference nod, marking the first of her career.

Allison Mangan crossed the finish line at 24:28.93, placing 33rd. Lydia Hamilton and Mariam Cosky finished with personal records of 25:10.96 and 26:02.77, placing 44th and 51st, respectively. In 52nd, Kerrigan Klevanosky clocked a time of 26:13.46.

The Badger men's team placed fifth out of 13 scoring teams with 140 points. Leading the men's team, Zachary Thomas also placed 18th with a time of 30:23.14.
 
Behind Thomas, Erik Lindmark and Luke Burlison finished with similar times of 31:09.55 and 31:19.31, claiming 21st and 23rd, respectively. In 33rd, Luke Mipro clocked a time of 32:54.57 while Nolan Akers placed 45th with a time of 35:26.19.
 
Meet Details
Date: October 24
Venue (Location): Georgia Premier Cross Country Course (Macon, Ga.)

They Said It - Head Coach Craig McVey
On the women's race
"We had one person on our women's team earn All-Conference Honors. CeCe [Cecilia] Light finished as our number one runner in fifth place with a time of 20:10.6. She ran with the front group the entire race. She ran smart, especially for her fifth collegiate race. Evelyn Hererra had a tough race. She was under the weather. She's a two-time All-Conference team member and was destined for that again, but she just didn't feel well. She ran hard, and we're just grateful she finished where she did. To finish where we believed we could in team scoring and place, we needed everyone who raced to have a good day. Alli [Allison] Mangan was our third runner. She did a great job and raced within nine seconds of her personal best for 5K, but Friday's time was on a much tougher course. Lydia Hamilton ran out of her mind. She had a two minute, 27 second personal best on a course that should not have happened on. She was on a mission. What a great effort! We needed her to do just what she did. Mariam Cosky had an amazing day as well. We needed her to do what she did! Mariam ran a one minute, 42 second personal best, again, on a course you don't just do that on. What a great race for her! Kerrigan Klevanosky was our stopper as our sixth finisher. She finished ahead of four to five teams, in which being head-to-head with those teams in scoring and for place had a major impact for our team place."

On the men's race
"Our men were racing again at 8K, and that's only their third 8K race of the season. Zach [Zachary] Thomas finished as our number one runner in 18th, which was a good effort especially given he was ill during the week of the race. Our men's team is young. They battled some illness and injury, and their credit took off during the first half of the race in an impressive group of five together all in the top 25. That had to look scary to a number of teams. I'm really proud of them for taking that shot. We talked about getting a group of three and two racing together, but to see five guys hanging together like that with some not a hundred percent and as young as we are is a great sign of things to come and showed real competitiveness. We had three guys run close to either a personal best, season best, or top two times of the season given the difficulty of the course and our health. Our men's team really raced with a sense of urgency, which you have to do in a conference meet."

Up Next
Light and Hererra will travel to the Holloway Park Cross Country Course to represent SHC at the NCAA Division II South Regional in Lakeland, Fla., on November 8.

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