The men and women's cross country team has competed twice thus far in the 2022 season. Under first-year head coach Eli Kaczinski the squad has five regular season meets set in place along with the potential of heading to the Collegiate Conference of the South Championships and the NCAA DIII regional meet.
 
The Scots battled hard during their first meet of the season at the Berry Watermelon Run as they faced strong competition, lengthy courses, and unbearably hot temperatures. Their competition included Division I Georgia Tech and regionally-ranked Berry.
 
Covenant came in fourth of six for the women and placed sixth of sixth on the men's side. For the women– Sophomore Lydia Moore ran the 6K course in 27:35.50 (7:24.0/mi) which earned her the top spot for Covenant and 28^th overall. Lydia Dorman was close to follow as the second Scot to cross the finish line with a time of 27:40.10, placing 29^th of 59 women. 
 
As for the men, Josiah Mellott ran a 5:33.00/mi place that earned him 22^nd place. His finishing time was 27:35.70. Freshman Daniel Bowles also ran under a six-minute mile pace (5:56.80/mi) to finish the 8K in 29:33.80. This time earned him 45^th out of 78 tough competitors.
 
In their second meet of the season, which was the UNG Invitational, Covenant placed fourth of seven for the men. The women earned fifth place out of eleven total teams.
 
Josiah Mellott was just shy of a top-five finish for the 8k during this invitational. He ran at a 5:27.30/mi pace to complete the race at sixth overall (6 of 81). His ending time was 27:07.30. Crushing his best time in 2021 (previously 27:10.70, a time he did not reach until the USA South Championships), Mellott earned a new personal record at UNG. Daniel Bowles was a top-fifteen finisher for this race as well, improving his time from the Berry Watermelon Run by an entire minute.
 
Lydia Dorman and Lydia Moore were the top performers for a second week in a row for the women's cross country squad. This time around, Dorman finished over Moore, placing 15^th and 17^th, respectively. Dorman ran an average pace of 6:36.50/mi and completed the 5K in just over twenty minutes (20:32.00). Freshman Maggie McGinley also raced well for Covenant, as she finished third for the Scots and 30^th overall. 
 
The Scots are preparing this week to head to Huntsville, Alabama for the North Alabama Showcase. Coach Kaczinski and his squad are training well and improving meet-to-meet, so it will be an exciting race this upcoming Friday, September 16^th to keep tabs on.
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.