Pioneers Record Multiple Personal Bests at Appalachian Challenge
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With two weeks remaining before the Appalachian Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, the Spartanburg Methodist College men's cross country team competed at the 2025 Appalachian Challenge on Friday morning.
"We saw a lot of great progress across the board today," said SMC head coach Jannai Maxwell. "The guys continue to improve each week, and it's encouraging to see those personal bests as we build momentum heading into the conference championships."
Pioneer junior Ryan Hunter led the way for SMC, covering the 8k course at Sequoyah Park in a personal-best time of 25:11.5. The Inman, S.C., native's performance marked a 45-second improvement on his previous best, earning him a 28th-place finish.
Freshman Dante Hudnall was next for the Pioneers, recording a season-best 8k time of 27:26.96 to place 125th. Sophomore Omarion Ocampo-Rios followed with a time of 30:01.85, just edging teammate Dylan Seppala, who crossed in 30:01.88. Freshman Matthew Radford clocked 30:09.01, setting a personal record by nearly a minute, while junior Steven Strange rounded out the SMC lineup with a 30:13.75 finish—also a personal best by 1:18 for the Spartanburg native.
In the team standings, Cumberlands claimed the team title, while Spartanburg Methodist placed 17th overall. The individual champion was Tyler Jenkins, a senior from Rio Grande, who posted a winning time of 24:16.16.
