Mountaineers cross country sweeps conference championship for second straight year

Eli Pauca • 127 Views

November 3, 2025

App State cross country wrapped up their 2025 conference season by claiming the conference championship highest note Friday. The Black and Gold swept the conference championship for the second year in a row, an unprecedented season result for the Mountaineers.

For the women’s 5K, the Mountaineers posted a collective time of 1:29:04.20 and an average time of 17:48.84. The Black and Gold had consistent finishes with five runners finishing in the top 20: freshman Tessa Massa, freshman Josie Jackson, sophomore Savannah Moore, sophomore Breanna Budzinski and freshman Elizabeth McCart. This young Mountaineer squad helped propel the Black and Gold to the top, with Massa posting a 17:39.90, Jackson posting a 17:47.50 and Moore posting a 17:51:00 to round out the top three Mountaineer finishers.

The men’s team dominated the 8k with control of the top 10, with five runners claiming a top 10 spot: sophomore Henry Stark, freshman Noah Martinson, freshman Tate Shore, sophomore Thomas Wlazlowski and senior Ethan Lipham, finishing fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth respectively. Stark came in at 24:07.41, Martinson following with a 24:09.71, and then Shore coming behind him with a 24:12.82, to round out the top 3 finishers. The consistency of the Mountaineers posted a collective time of 2:01:07.42 with an average time of 24:13.49 to claim their second Sunbelt Championship in breakaway fashion.

While the conference championship might be over, the Black and Gold are still waiting to see if they will run in the Southeast Regional on Nov. 14, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Mountaineers cross country sweeps conference championship for second straight year

The Appalachian