MACON, Ga. – In the first fall 2020 competition for any Samford athletic program, the women's and men's cross country programs finished first and second respectively at the Mercer Invitational.
 
The women's squad finished 36 points ahead of the host team, with a score of 24. Sophomore, McKenzie Hogue, picked up right where she left off in her outstanding rookie campaign, finishing first with a time of 18:13.13 on the five-kilometer course. Junior, Mary Kellison Thorne, and freshman, Tatum Foreman, finished third and fourth with times of 18:37.56 and 18:50.84 respectively. Allison Nelson (19:20.02) and Harper McGowan (19:37.74) rounded out the scoring for the Bulldogs, who claimed top honors in their first meet of the abridged 2020 season.

The young men's team finished second, topping fellow Southern Conference opponent Chattanooga. Ben Myers led the Bulldogs on the eight-kilometer course, finishing with a time of 27:01.43. Andrew Cox (27:10.67) and Jack Elliott (27:15.22) finished eighth and ninth overall, with Cole Arrington (27:29.56) and Charlie Lott (27:42.27) wrapping up the scoring for the Bulldogs in their inaugural outing of 2020.
 
Both squads will participate in the 2020 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships, to be held on Saturday, November 21 in Macon, Ga.