BUIES CREEK, N.C. – For her first time running at the Big South Cross Country Championship, freshman Grace Puleo ran like a veteran. She also helped Longwood make some history along the way.
 
Longwood's newcomer clocked the program's fourth fastest Big South Championship time in school history and broke the 20-minute plateau for the first time to lead the Lancer women to a program-best eighth-place finish.
 
Meanwhile, the Lancer men rode personal-bests from freshmen Shahmique Cromwell and Zach Lam, and top finishes from sophomore Nick Howell and freshman Sam Sager to an eighth-place finish of their own, giving the Longwood men and women matching top-eight finishes at the postseason race for the first time since joining the Big South in 2012.
 
"Everything was on the line today, and it was exciting to see our athletes get it done," said second-year head coach Daniel Wooten. "We had some all-time PRs, season-bests and collegiate PRs across the board. With the highs came some lows, but all of our runners showed heart."
 
Puleo was the Longwood women's team's top finisher, clocking a 19:51.2 on the 5K course to place 33rd in the 84-runner field. Following her and making up Longwood's top three were Lindsey Gordon, whose PR of 20:28.55 earned her 48th place, and junior Casey Williams, whose 20:37.74 put her in 51st.
 
Those three Lancers teamed up for another another team milestone, giving Longwood three runners inside the top 51 finishers for the first time since joining the Big South in 2012. Their three times were each among the 10 fastest individual performances in Longwood's eight Big South Championship races, as were their individual placements.
 
"Our women placed higher than they ever have, and that is in huge part to the performance Grace, Lindsey and Casey put in but also the collective effort of our whole team. The men's team tied their positioning from last year, and we had some concerns Presbyterian would get the better of us today but we pulled it off. Thanks to all of those who came out and supported us today and throughout the season."
 
The eighth-place finishes mark the first time both the Lancer men and women finished in those spots in eight trips to the conference's  penultimate race. Puleo became only the fourth Lancers to break into the 19s at the Big South Championship, joining former standouts Alisha Royal, whose school-record 18:25.2 from 2012 still stands, and Gracie Piekarski, who ran an 18:38.0 in 2015 and followed with a 19:47.4 in 2016. Puleo's 33rd-place finish was also fourth on Longwood's all-time list behind those two.
 
Longwood's men continued their own youthful surge with the sophomore Howell clocking a 28:08.78 to place 50th and freshman Sager trailing him by just four seconds to place 42nd with a time of 28:12.75. Joining those two in the top 60 was sophomore Sage Church, who ran a 28:40.80 on the 8K course.
 
Sager's fellow freshman Cromwell also made his mark, hitting a personal-best 29:07.27 in only his second-ever 8K, as did freshman Zach Lam who beat his previous mark by more than three minutes at 31:21.95.
 
Collectively, the Longwood men and women both finished ahead of Presbyterian, Hampton and Gardner-Webb in the team standings. The women just missed a sub-21-minute team time at 21:01.87, while the men broke 29 minutes at 28:52.14.
 
The Big South Championship is the first of two postseason races for both Longwood teams this fall and precedes the NCAA Southeast Regional, which takes place in just under two weeks in Charlottesville, Va., on Nov. 15.
 
Big South Championship
November 2, 2019
Buies Creek, N.C. (Campbell University)
 
Men's Team Results (8K)
1. Campbell (24:50.23, 28 points)
2. Charleston Southern (25:47.97, 58 points)
3. High Point (25:48.21, 61 points)
4. UNC Asheville (26:26.79, 143 points)
5. Radford (26:58.66, 153 points)
6. USC Upstate (27:09.57, 170 points)
7. Winthrop (27:18.04, 265 points)
8. Longwood (28:52.14, 265 points)
9. Presbyterian (29:11.50, 270 points)
10. Hampton (30:18.43, 293 points)
11. Gardner-Webb (30:58.47, 319 points)
 
Men's Individual Results (88 participants)
50. Nick Howell (28:08.78)
52. Sam Sager (28:12.75)
59. Sage Church (28:40.80)
65. Shahmique Cromwell (29:07.27) – PR
73. Chrishon Dollard (30:11.07)
79. Zach Lam (31:21.95) – PR
82. Nick O'Keeffe (32:17.84)
 
Women's Team Results (5K)
1. High Point (18:04.31, 32 points)
2. Campbell (18:39.39, 48 points)
3. Charleston Southern (18:45.12, 69 points)
4. Radford (18:54.82, 83 points)
5. UNC Asheville (20:07.83, 178 points)
6. USC Upstate (20:16.88, 186 points)
7. Winthrop (20:51.84, 209 points)
8. Longwood 921:01.87, 238 points)
9. Presbyterian (21:20.32, 242 points)
10. Hampton (21:24.32, 257 points)
11. Gardner-Webb (22:04.83, 285 points)
 
Women's Individual Results (84 participants)
33. Grade Puleo (19:51.20) – PR
48. Lindsey Gordon (20:28.55) – PR
51. Casey Williams (20:37.74)
68. Maddie Foster (21:56.35)
72. Cicely Dunaway (22:15.50)
73. Brooke Dippold (22:34.18)
81. Diana Smith (24:43.50)
 
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