HIGH POINT, N.C.  —  High Point University women's and men's cross country are set to travel to Rock, S.C., to participate in the 2024 NCAA Southeast Regionals on Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30a.m., seeking a spot in the NCAA Championships. The top two teams in reach region quality for nationals, while the top four individual finishers outside of those teams move onto nationals.

Women's Lineup
Reese Bradbury
Alyssa Hendrix
Danielle Jensen
Alice Jones
Brianna Malone
Charli Montalvo
Mikayla Moxley
Shauna Skow

For the eighth consecutive year, the women won the Big South Conference Championship, proving once again that they are the team to beat in the league. On November 1, HPU defeated Charleston Southern University by 17 points on the bucs' home course.

Brianna Malone made it official, defending her title as the Big South Cross Country Champion with an impressive finish of 16:52.0. Not only did she take home the Individual Champion title, but she also earned Big South Runner of the Year honors for the second year in a row.

Charli Montalvo, Alyssa Hendrix, and Danielle Jensen were all recognized with First-Team All-Conference honors for their standout performances. At the same time, Alice Jones earned a well-deserved spot on the Second-Team All-Conference. Coach Remy Tamer was also honored as Coach of the Year, a testament to his leadership and the team's continued success. In addition, Jensen was named Big South Freshman of the Year and Hendrix earned Newcomer of the Year, highlighting their impressive contributions in their first seasons with the team.

"I am so excited to see what our women can do at regionals on Friday," Montalvo said. "We are the strongest group I've been a part of, and how we've trained in our workouts this year has prepared us best for anything to be expected. I cannot wait to work together as a team and score as best as possible, hopefully making HPU history and celebrating our hard work from the past months of staying diligent and determined each day, lifting each other to be the best we can." 

At last year's NCAA Regionals, the women finished 14th out of 34 teams. Malone led the way, clocking an impressive time of 20:49.7 to finish 36th out of 243 runners. Montalvo followed close behind, crossing the finish line in 21:36.6 to secure 78th place and contribute to the team's solid finish. With another year of experience and talent, the Panthers are back with one goal: earning a spot at the NCAA Championship. It would be the women's first and best finish since 2022 when HPU placed 11th. 

Men's Lineup
Hunter Steinau
Graham Ferguson
Jake Tarosky
Gavin Stevens
Avery Crowell
Aiden Morrison
Jason Thomson

At the Big South Cross Country Championships in November, Hunter Steinau won the individual title as he led the HPU men's cross country team to a solid second-place finish. The Panthers finished just five points behind host Charleston Southern, who took first place with 41 points.

"After the way our conference meet ended, I think we were all pretty disappointed," Steinau said, "but as a team, I believe we are ready to compete with some of the best runners in the country on a bigger stage."

Steinau was named Big South Runner of the Year after his conference championship performance. In addition to his title, Steinau also earned First Team All-Conference honors. Gavin Stevens, Graham Ferguson, Avery Crowell, and Kyler Koning were also recognized, each earning spots on the Second Team All-Conference list for their strong performances.

Last year at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet, the men finished 19th out of 33 teams. The Panthers were led by Steinau, who finished the team's first 10K race of the season in 30:56.1, placing 77th out of 237 runners. Jake Tarosky followed shortly after, finishing 109th with a time of 31:29.3. The Panthers are on the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Championships and their best finish since 2014 when they placed seventh.