SPARTANBURG, S.C. (August 29, 2025) - The ETSU men's and women's cross country teams opened their seasons at the USC Upstate Eye-Opener on Friday, with the men finishing fifth and the women coming home sixth. 

In the men's 8K, freshman Garrett Hawkins debuted with a 25:16.9, good for 18th, and sophomore Chance Underwood finished 25th with a 25:43.7. Nolan Pedota's time of 26:20.0 earned him 44th. Freshman Oliver Cunningham was 52nd at 26:37.0, and Nate Hillis rounded out the countable finishes with a 26:48.5. 

The Buccaneer women were led by senior Sophie Beach in the 5K with a 19:08.8 that placed Beach 27th, followed by senior Kendall Johnson in her first race at ETSU with a 42nd-place time of 19:58.5. Freshmen Eliza Everett and Madalyn Mahoney and senior Grace Singleton rounded out the counters with respective times of 20:02.8 (47th), 20:11.9 (53rd), and 20:27.1 (59th).  

SoCon rival Furman won the men's race with the top six finishers and 11 of the top 14, while Clemson won the women's team event with four of the top seven. 

Both cross country teams travel to Huntsville, Alabama, in two weeks for the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State. 

For more information on ETSU cross country, go to ETSUBucs.com.