SALEM, Va – Freshman Brianna Malone took home the individual championship trophy while leading High Point University to its seventh-consecutive Big South Championship Sunday morning.
 
"We knew today was going to be a really tough battle," HPU Head Coach Remy Tamer said. "What was important for us was to understand and make peace with the fact that we were not to expect it to be easy, nor expect it to feel good, nor expect us to be victorious because we worked hard during the season. Those things don't matter. We signed an unwritten contract with ourselves long before we got here that it was going to be a drag out brawl. Every step of the way we were going to claw for each inch on that course for 5,000 meters. Those ladies did it. At no point in the race did we have the win secured, but as we say, 'the women just kept punching,' because it's not over until you cross the finish line.

"What we saw from a lot of our individuals, collectively, each individual closed big, they passed women late in the race when everyone hurts. And that's a testament to, not their talent, not their skill, but their tenacity. I couldn't ask for a better performance as a coach, watching people live fully in the moment."
 
Along with High Point's first-place finish, the team also managed to take home several individual trophies. Katie Taylor was first called to the stage to accept her place on the All-Academic Team. Next, Charli Montalvo, Elizabeth Ritter, Anna Ritter, and Paris Stankewich were awarded a spot on the Second Team All-Conference. Taylor was called back to the stage to accept her place on the First Team All-Conference, before being joined by Malone. After being awarded First Team All-Conference, Malone was awarded Individual Champion and Freshman of the Year, totaling three awards for the freshman on top of the team's championship. Coach Tamer also walked away with an trophy of his own as the coaches of the Big South voted him as the recipient of the Coach of the Year award. 
 
The race was a nail-biter as Charleston Southern University put up quite a fight against the Panthers, finishing just eight points behind HPU. Malone stuck with the front CSU runner during most of the race before breaking away at the last minute for a first-place finish with a time of 16:45.2.
 
"Brianna Malone is of course capable, of course she's talented, of course she works hard," Tamer said. "Everyone here works hard. We all train for those couple of hours of practice with all of our heart. Brianna Malone is of course tough, and she's talented, and she's capable, she works hard, but that doesn't make her different. Everyone in this conference works hard and they train tediously, and they put in the work. They are showing up to practice every day and they're giving forth their best effort. I truly believe that. But what sets her apart from other people is when no one is looking, and we're not posting on Instagram about workouts, she is trying to drain the most out of her emotional and mental toughness. And being exceptional when the gun goes off and you're on that stage to perform.

"She's talented, she may not be the most talented in our conference, but she is certainly the best performer because she knows how to drain every ounce of energy from herself for her team, and for her program, and hopefully for her coaches and her family. I'm very proud of her and she knows that, although this is very exceptional, instead of celebrating, we should say, 'yes, this is us living fully in the moment, this was us doing exactly what we are supposed to do for our team, and the greater good,' and when you do that, when you give into something bigger than yourself, you'll get back, as an individual, even more. This was one of my favorite races, in my coaching career, to watch Brianna Malone run today, and I'm very proud of her."
 
Taylor finished a couple runners behind the Malone in fourth place with a time of 17:09.6. Montalvo, Elizabeth Ritter, and Anna Ritter finished together in ninth, 10th, and 11th, respectively. Montalvo clocked a time of 17:31.6, Elizabeth Ritter finished with a time of 17:33.8, and Anna Ritter secured a time of 18:07.9. Stankewich finished a runner behind the trio in 13th place with a time of 18:12.1.
 
Olive Allen finished in 19th place, clocking a time of 18:37.4. Shauna Skow was next across the line for the Panthers with a time of 18:56.3 to place 24th. Mikayla Moxley ran a time of 19:08.6, placing her 30th, and Joanna Poland rounded out the lineup for the Panthers in 35^th place with a time of 19:26.9.

Final Team Results
1 – High Point (35)
2 – Charleston Southern (43)
3 – Radford (74)
4 – UNC Asheville (92)
5 – Longwood (173)
6 – Winthrop (188)
7 – USC Upstate (198)
8 – Presbyterian (220)
9 – Gardner-Webb (228)
 
Individual Champion
Brianna Malone, High Point

Freshman of the Year
Brianna Malone, High Point
 
Newcomer of the Year
Mackenzie Brownig, Radford
 
Coach of the Year
Remy Tamer, High Point
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Natalie Preston, Radford
 
All-Conference Team (Top 14 Finishers)
First-Team
Brianna Malone, High Point
Sarah McCartney, Charleston Southern
Keerstin Augustin, Charleston Southern
Katie Taylor, High Point
Chloe Wellings, Radford
MegAnne Gilmore, Radford
Anne Akagi, Charleston Southern
 
Second-Team
Isabel Richardson, UNC Asheville
Charli Montalvo, High Point
Elizabeth Ritter, High Point
Anna Ritter, High Point
Ella Moore, UNC Asheville
Paris Stankewich, High Point
Taylar White, Charleston Southern
 
All-Academic Team
Taylar White, Charleston Southern
Jessica Perriello, Gardner-Webb
Katie Taylor, High Point
Kiersten Witte, Longwood
Caroline Rairigh, Presbyterian College
Natalie Preston, Radford
Sophie Lundin, UNC Asheville
Heaven Bennett, USC Upstate
Olivia Kemp, Winthrop