CHARLOTTE, NC – The Francis Marion University men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Royals Cross Country Challenge on Friday evening (Oct. 8) in Charlotte, with the men placing 12th and the women 19th.
 
Both FMU teams will compete in the Conference Carolinas Championship Meet on Oct. 23 in Mount Olive, N.C.  The men's race will start at 10 a.m., followed by the women at 11 a.m.
 
Sophomore Pearson Mixon led the Patriot men with a 24th-place showing as he finished the 8,000-meter course in a time of 26:29.2, slashing nearly two-and-a-half minutes off his previous best time for that distance. 
 
FMU senior Christian England cut nearly a minute off his personal-best time for 8,000-meters as he placed 53rd in 27:36.3.  Sophomore Cullen Dore (28:06.1) finished 71st, while freshman Y'zeqez Timmons (28:57.9) was 93rd, freshman Tyson Jackson (32:05.8) was 142nd, and senior Anthony Melo (32:47.4) was 148th, as six members of the FMU squad set new personal-best times.
 
The women's team ran 5,000-meters for the first time this season with freshman Caroline Thompkins leading the way with a time of 21:50.1 and finishing in 73rd position. Senior Sarah Harris set a new personal-best with a time of 22:28.7 as she placed 100th.
 
Patriot sophomore Annalena Griffin cut nearly a minute-and-a-half off her previous PR and finished in 115th position with a time of 23:04.0.  Other FMU finishers were sophomore Molly Moss (23:38.8) in 129th position, sophomore Ina Marie Sullivan (personal-best 24:13.8) in 142nd, freshman Emma Morris (28:33.0) in 165th, and freshman Haizley Herndon (28:47.7) in 167th.