Men’s Cross-Country
The men’s cross-country team wrapped up its 2023 season finishing in 7thplace out of 24 teams in the NCAA Division III South Region Championship at Berry College. This marked the team’s best finish in program history, coming just weeks after winning the CCS championship.
“This past season was fantastic,” said junior Tucker Cox. “This team has great things in store for them when track season comes around.”
Senior Gary Halverson paced the Lions, finishing with a time of 25:50.9 for 30th place (out of 170 runners). Junior Layton Bradford was right behind, taking 36thplace with a time of 26:15.1. Cox was the third Lion runner finishing in the top 50, running 26:32.9 for 49th place.
The race marks the end of the season for the cross-country team, but many of these runners will return for the track and field season, when Cox said expectations will be high.
“All I know is that we aren’t satisfied,” he said. “We won the conference in cross country, but we want another title in track. It’s time to go back-to-back.”
—Zane Brookshire
Women’s Cross-Country
The women’s cross-country team traveled to Berry College on Nov. 11 to compete in the NCAA Division III South Region Championships.
The team finished 13th out of 21 programs, led by graduate student Jaycee Ponce, who too 37th overall (out of 168 runners) with a time of 23:36.7.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” said Ponce. “I am proud of the hard work the team has put in this season. I will miss racing with these girls competitively and I can’t wait to see what they produce next season.”
Sophomore Skylar Seeber ran behind Ponce with a time of 23:55.9m good for 44th place. The third Lady Lion to cross the finish line and rank in the top half of runners was sophomore Hannah Marlowe (25:14.0, 86thplace).
This race concludes the women’s 2023 cross-country season.
—Dylan Bodney
Volleyball
The Piedmont volleyball team’s season came to an abrupt end after a heart-breaking CCS tournament defeat to Berea College on Nov. 7.
Hosting its first conference tournament match in years, the Lady Lions opened strong, taking the first two sets 26-24 and 25-14, but the Mountaineers came back in the final two sets 25-18, 25-19, 15-8 to advance to the CCS semifinals.
“We are definitely going to feel this loss for a while,” said sophomore outside hitter Katie Hubbard, who had 14 kills in the game. “After winning the first two sets — it’s horrible.”
Tying Hubbard with the team lead in kills for the game was senior Jenna Ash, who also had two blocks. Senior Mary-Grace Shaw served up three aces, while senior Taylor Hermann led the game with 32 digs.
Despite the early tournament exit, the Lady Lions achieved one of the best volleyball seasons in Piedmont history, posting an 11-5 conference record and finishing the regular season in 3rd place. Hubbard hopes the team can continue the momentum of 2023 next season.
“We didn’t really lose a ton of players and next year I feel like we’re due for a deep run.”
—Simon Johnstone
Women’s Basketball
The Piedmont women’s basketball team defeated Berry 67–61 on Sunday afternoon at the CCS/SAA Classic, securing the victory for the second straight day due to a forceful fourth quarter.
“We were down at halftime, but we were able to figure out a way to pull it together,” said Junior Nae-Nae Eades. “A lot of us were in a good bit of foul trouble so we were just having to throw people in there, but we were able to all work together and it all came out good. I was thrilled once we gained the lead and I was stirred up, especially being down going into the final quarter.”
Picking up where she left off last season, senior Lu Woolfolk led Piedmont with a career-best 16 points and helped the lions rally late. Woolfolk added five assists and six rebounds to her 16 points, which led the team. Piedmont’s scoring attack was well-balanced, with five players scoring eight points or more. Freshman Andelin Hill contributed 14 rebounds and 15 points to the win. Not too far behind Hill, senior guard Laken Stiles was solid, laying out 11 points, four assists, and just one turnover.
The Lady Lions were down by halftime as the Vikings managed to lead by 30-27 going into the third quarter.Piedmont delivered 16 of 25 free throws, including 9 of 15 in the fourth quarter.
“After that Berry game, I feel really confident that we will be successful this year going forward,” Eades said.“We were able to come out with two wins even after not doing as well as we expected to, so as the season goes on, we’ll get better and hopefully continue to keep winning,” said Eades.
Up next, the Lions are on the road again next weekend, first taking on Greensboro next Saturday, Nov. 18 in the Roanoke Classic.
—Jailyn Green
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team fell 91-84 to the Emory Eagles in the season home opener on Sunday.
“It was a battle back and forth; we just came up short in the last minute,” said senior starter Noah Reardon, who spent the most time on the court, playing 37 minutes.
Reardon contributed four field goals and two 3-pointers for a total of ten points, behind graduate student Ryan Jolly. Jolly accumulated 33 points during his 35 minutes on the court. The Lions led 36-34 at the half, but the game slipped away as Emory outscored them by 10 in the second half.
Head Coach Greg Neeley utilized his roster throughout the game, playing well over half of the team. The Lions’ depth allowed them to score 28 bench points, nine of which came from sophomore Caleb Lesch who scored three 3-pointers in an attempt to close the gap in the final five minutes.
“We stepped up and figured out a way to claw back to try to win the game. Caleb was huge for us down the stretch, and trying to find a way to give him the ball was our best shot to win the game,” said Reardon.
The Lions fought the entire duration of the game and have a lot to look forward to after strong performances in their first game against Emory and after nearly pulling off an upset against Division I CoastalCarolina.
Piedmont will face Warren Wilson at home on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
—Paige Kluba
