BLUFFTON, S.C.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams competed in their final regular season event of the 2020 season on Saturday afternoon, running in the NAIA Southern States Challenge. The event was hosted by the University of South Carolina Beaufort, and saw both Ave Maria teams finish in third place in a field of six teams.

The men ran first on Saturday afternoon, and the Gyrenes were led by freshman Joseph Perreault. Perreault took ninth in the field of 74 runners, finishing the 8k course in 26:58.83.  Perreault was the third finisher among the competing teams, as six of the top nine runners were unattached runners, mostly from NCAA Division I Charleston Southern. The freshman was also the number two finisher among the five Sun Conference schools in the event. 

Adam Paga followed Perreault for the Gyrenes, placing 20th with a time of 28:09.99. Ave Maria's team score was rounded out by DJ Mason (28:39.60), Erik Minter (29:15.07), and Jonathan Kohr (29:41.14). Each of AMU's top five runners finished in the top half of the field. 

Southeastern earned a one-point victory in the team race over Reinhardt, as the conference favorite Fire put five runners in the top 20. Ave Maria followed in third place, beating out conference rivals USC Beaufort, Keiser, and Webber. The Gyrenes held a 28-point edge over host USCB for third place in the men's event.

On the women's side, Mary Goetz continued her streak of top finishes among Ave Maria runners. The junior ran the 5k course in 19:05.40, which was good for a third place finish overall. The Desoto, Kansas native finished second among Sun Conference runners, trailing only individual champion Julia Rohm from Southeastern.

Anna Morris finished 12th in the field of 60 runners, finishing the USCB course in 20:33.62. Three more runners finished off the Ave Maria team score - Marianna Orth, Grace McKillip, and Peyton Brugger. Orth finished 25th at 21:36.91, while AMU's top five runners were completed by McKillip's 22:19.59 and Brugger's 22:25.59.

Four of the race's top ten finshers came from Southeastern, powering the Fire to a one-point victory over Dalton State. Ave Maria's third place finish saw the Gyrenes finish above Keiser, NCAA Division I The Citadel, and Reinhardt.

In two weeks, AMU will host The Sun Conference Championships at North Park in Ave Maria. The best runners in the conference will converge on Southwest Florida for the opportunity to win a league title and qualify for this spring's NAIA National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.