ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – The Brevard College men's & women's cross country teams recently took part in the 2019 USA South Conference Cross Country Championships, held on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Saturday, November 2.

Brevard's sophomore standout Gavin Morgan led the way for the Tornados on the day, placing ninth in a competitive field featuring the conference's top runners. Morgan, a native of Hayesville, North Carolina, finished the 8k race with an impressive time of 26:37.34 to secure the top-10 finish.

Morgan's place in the race secured him a nod on the USA South Men's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team, awarded to those who placed 8-14 in Saturday's race. The accolade adds to an already impressive arsenal of hardware collected by Morgan this season. He has twice been named the USA South Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week in 2019 – an honor that was celebrated on Friday evening at the 2019 USA South Cross Country Banquet, held at the Rocky Mount Mills Power House. There, Morgan was recognized alongside the other runners and rookies of the week.

Morgan has enjoyed impressive success thus far in Brevard's cross country season. The sophomore earned a top-10 finish in the season-opener at Tusculum University, finishing with a time of 28:11 for a seventh-place finish. He placed 13th at Berea College's Mike & Mary Kay Invitational (27:57) before setting his new personal record with a 26:28 8k time at the highly-competitive Queen City Invitational, hosted by NCAA DI UNC Charlotte. Morgan earned a hard-fought podium finish at the Charleston Classic - another NCAA DI race - with a time of 27:03 that earned the sophomore third place.

Senior Molly Brown and junior Solomon Turner were also honored at the banquet, being selected as Brevard College's representatives on the USA South Cross Country All-Sportsmanship Team.

Turner, a junior Biology major from Snow Camp, North Carolina, set a new personal record in the 8K at the cross country championships on Saturday. He finished the 8,000-meter race with a time of 30:40.70.

Brown, a senior Wilderness Leadership & Experiential Education (WLEE) major from Urbanna, Virginia, wraps up her Tornado running career by earning the award.

Freshman men's soccer student-athlete Miles Schafer, who has already participated in a cross country race this season for Brevard (Berea's Mike & Mark Kay Invitational) bolstered Brevard's team standings in Saturdays meet by besting his previous personal-best. Schafer finished Saturday's 8,000-meter race with an official time of 33:47.46.

Freshman cross country runner Michael Fader (34:28.65) and freshman men's soccer student-athlete Dylan Freeman (38:41.58) rounded out Brevard's men's team that finished ninth overall out of 13 teams in the meet.

Abigail Juul represented Brevard in the women's race, finishing the 6,000-meter race in 35:45.20.

The Tornados will conclude their 2019 season next Saturday, November 9 when Head Coach Darryll Patrick, Fader, and Morgan head up to Milton, New York for the ECAC Cross Country Championships.

All-Sportsmanship Team
Hannah Brendell, Agnes Scott
Sydney Fryman, Averett
Jenna Hughes, Berea
Molly Brown, Brevard
Maggie Henry, Covenant
Mary Stanley, Huntingdon
Natalie Glass, LaGrange
Stephanie Barbaro, Mary Baldwin
Sarah McFann, Maryville
Banesa Arellano, Meredith
Lemlem Gebremichele, Methodist
Teanna Bellamy, N.C. Wesleyan
Tiffany Bartholomew, Pfeiffer
Haley Bolt, Piedmont
Jessica Bailey, Salem
Marilynn NeSmith, Wesleyan
Shawntez Mickens, William Peace