Men's Cross Country | October 19, 2023

AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's cross country team is set for the upcoming PBC Championship. 

The race will take place in Gainesville, Ga., and will be hosted by the University of North Georgia.

Competing after the women's race, head coach Marshall Leonard's team looks to take a step forward from last year's seventh-place finish at the conference competition. During the last two PBC Championships, the squad posted seventh-place accolades each time, besting two ninth-place efforts the first two years since the program was restarted.

Leonard, in his second year as the head coach, has coached a team to a third-place finish at the Blue Bear Invitational this season. Additionally, newcomer Julio Rojas established a school record in the 8k while fellow newcomer Justin Kaimann bested the previous school-record mark as well.

The Pacers have elevated their expectations this season from previous years with a solid core in place. 

While Rojas, a junior, and Kaimann, a freshman, lead the way, USC Aiken has a solid core that could help the team best its finish from a season ago. Julian Mendoza has been running well and should be healthy for the race. 

Graduate student Riley Campbell has been putting together solid training efforts and his team has improved throughout the season. Senior Julian Salas has already established personal-best times this season and will look to do so again at the conference meet.

Joey Burdick and Tyler Blowe have battled injuries this year but could help USC Aiken gain a few points with their efforts. Newcomer Elkana Kipchumba is still getting acclimated. He looks to establish himself as a solid competitor against PBC competition at a longer distance at the meet.

"The team is focused on the championships part of the season, as we are tailoring our training to reach our peak performance at the end of the season," Leonard stated. "Throughout the season we had discussed that performing well at the conference championship is our goal. They have worked hard all season, and everyone has made personal improvements which has helped the team reach new goals. I look forward to seeing the men do well."

The race will start at 10:15 a.m.