Men’s Cross Country

The men’s cross country team has been enjoying a strong season, most recently taking 3rd place at the Berry College Invitational, only being bested by host Berry and Division I Georgia Tech.

The fastest Lions at the meet were sophomore Layton Bradford who set a personal best of 27:06.1, and senior Jacob Balot who set a new personal record of 27:12.9. Senior Gary Halverson finished just a few spots behind Balot with a time of 27:19.1. Rounding out the top six for Piedmont was senior Darius Smith (27:40.7), sophomore Jadon Gonzales (27:52.3) and
senior Connor Creedon (28:04.8).

“Going into conference, we believe we have a very good shot at winning,” said Balot. “It’s going to take a great team performance, but we are confident we have what it takes.”

Piedmont will be sending a plethora of runners to the conference meet where they will compete for more team podium finishes as well as individual runners trying to qualify for the NCAA regional meet.

“We have what it takes to bring a championship back to Piedmont,” said Balot. “Every meet we as a team have been progressing and improving.” 

The team will travel to Montgomery, Alabama on Oct. 29 to compete in the inaugural College Conference of the South (CCS) championship meet. 

—Chad Hall

Women’s Cross Country

Fueled by five personal best times, the women’s cross country team set an all-time team record at the Asics Invitational on Oct. 11 in Fairbun, Georgia.

“The Asics Invitational was a fantastic meet for our women,” said head coach Jamie Jamison. “This group is running with a lot of confidence right now.”

Senior Jaycie Ponce led the way, setting a personal best and school record running the 5k in 18:37.8.

Freshman Skyler Seeber has improved steadily through the season, running a personal best 20:25.1 and being the Piedmont’s number 2 runner for three consecutive meets.

“We have a very young and inexperienced team,” Jamison said. “My expectations were tempered before the season began. However, our returners have shown substantial progress, and our newcomers have exceeded expectations.”

The new expectation is for this group is to continue to progress and make a run for the conference championship at the end of the month. The Lady Lions will next compete at the Berry College Invitational on Oct. 15.

—Jordan Burch

Volleyball

The volleyball team lost two conferences road conference matches, dropping a 3-0 match to Maryville and 3-2 to Belhaven on Oct. 15 in Jackson, Mississippi.

“Like every other sports team, we obviously wanted to win,” said freshman outside hitter Jessica Sconyers. “Some improvements could definitely be made in team communication.”

Despite battling to keep it close throughout the match, Piedmont could not win a set over the Scots. A 25-21 victory in the first set, followed by a 25-20 win and a 25-17 win in the second set, secured the match for Maryville. There were nine kills from sophomore Jenna Ash and 13 assists from junior Brooklyn Gunn for the Lady Lions. Piedmont had 26 kills in the match, with
12 in the final set.

In the match against the Blazers, Piedmont won the first set but fell behind 2-1 and battled to tie the match. Piedmont led early in the fifth set, 8-5, before falling behind 14-11. In the end, the Blazers secured the match, taking the final set 15-13.

“These matches were definitely different than other matches because we came out with zero energy and communications,” said Sconyers, who had four blocks against Belhaven. 

The losses drop the team to a 2-15, with a 2-6 CCS record. A trip to Agnes Scott College in Decatur is next on the Lady Lions’ agenda, as they will face the Scotties on Oct. 18.

—Leandro Forero

Women’s Soccer

Securing their sixth consecutive win, the Lady Lions soccer team beat the Maryville Scots 3-0 on Oct. 15.

The game was a rematch of the 2021 conference semifinal match, when the Lady Lions scored one goal in the second half to secure their spot in the championship game.

Getting the team off to a quick start was freshman midfielder Savannah Jerome, who scored her first career goal. Scoring the second goal of the game was junior midfielder Madi Gallarelli, and the final goal was made by senior defender Abby Judge. The teamwork throughout the game led the Lady Lions to victory and their fourth consecutive win over the Scots.

“The team came out really aggressive and excited Saturday,” said senior midfielder Anya Olson.

Not only did the Lady Lions celebrate their win on Saturday, but they also honored nine seniors before the game. Katy Brown, Jade Edwards, Kaity Hemperly, Olson, Kelsey Skendziel, Aria Solano, Hailey Tigue, Joanna Tsesmelis and Judge were all honored for their contributions and commitment to the team over the years.

“Maryville is always an important game, but senior night just made the team fight even harder,” Olson said. “We fought the whole game and really showed up for each other on the field.”

With a 5-1-1 CCS record (8-4-1 overall), the Lady Lions sit atop the conference standings. They look for their seventh win in a row against Berry College on Oct. 18.

—Emma Marti

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team dropped their final CCS home contest to Covenant 2-0.

The Lions spent the majority of the first half on their heels as Covenant had 9 shots on goal. The defense held strong until a corner kick from the Scots ended in a goal. Covenant was able to score again just on the other side of halftime which would be the final goal of the contest.

It was an offensive struggle for the Lions, who only had 4 shots on goal during the second half. In the final minutes of play, Piedmont would have a few opportunities to get on the board but could not put the ball in the net. The contest finished 2-0 in favor of the Scots.

The men’s soccer team (2-8-5, 2-3-1) travels to Jackson, Miss. to wrap up CCS play against Belhaven University on Oct. 22.

—Aaron Palmer

Men’s & Women’s Cycling

The Piedmont University Men’s and Womens cycling team took a trip to Durango, Colorado Oct. 13-16 as they competed in the 2022 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships.

There were schools from all over the country to compete with the Lions in the varsity men’s and women’s brackets.

On the women’s side of the pedal, three cyclists finished in the top 40. Taking 14th place was Mariajose Montoya, followed by Katie Prowell finishing in 32nd place. Coming in with another strong ride was Emma Frost, taking 38th place. 

On the men’s side, junior Quill Martin was the only cyclist on the trip. He came in 44th place.

‘Overall it was a wonderful experience, even though I did not get the outcome I quite wanted,” Martin said. “I got a chance to support our ladies and I love watching them perform.”

Next on the calendar for the cycling teams is when the compete in the Georgia Gravel Grinduro Gravel Event(s) in Helen, Ga on Oct. 29.

—Connor Rogers