Men’s Cross Country

Graduate student Layton Bradford won the CCS individual championship as the Piedmont men’s cross country team wrapped up their 2025 season with an overall fourth-place finish at the Oct. 31 conference tournament in Huntsville, Alabama.

Bradford dominated the 8K race to claim the individual CCS crown with a time of 26:04.00. His outstanding performance not only earned him CCS Runner of the Year honors but also earned him his place in Piedmont history. This is the second consecutive year a Lion has won the individual championship, after Walker Capelle did so in 2024.

Behind Bradford, sophomore Brody Geckler crossed the line in 17th with a time of 28:24.2. Geckler also earned the CCS All-Sportsmanship Award for his effort and leadership on the course.

“Everybody went out and put their heart into the race and the results show the effort,” said Coach Gary Halverson. “I’m excited to see how the confidence boost from conference will roll over into the region meet.”

The Lions’ top five were rounded out by junior Keegan Ivey in 45th (32:41.65), sophomore Xander Wiley in 50th (33:24.27), and junior Sam Maddox in 52nd (33:57.56).

The Lions will head to Salem, Virginia, on Nov. 15 to compete in the South Region Championships.

—Emilee Sanders

Women’s Soccer

In a dramatic CCS Tournament First Round matchup on Saturday in Demorest, the Piedmont women’s soccer team survived a nail-biter against LaGrange, advancing after a penalty kick shootout. The official result goes down as the Lions’ first draw of the season, but their never-ending composure under pressure earned them a spot in the CCS Tournament Semifinals.

“It was one of those games that pushed us to our limits,” junior midfielder Gracie Phillips said after the win. “I’m just so proud of this team, the heart we showed, and how we never stopped fighting for each other.”

The Lions and Panthers battled to a 0–0 deadlock through 110 minutes of play, as both defenses refused to yield. Piedmont generated several strong scoring opportunities, but LaGrange goalkeeper Carsen Makuch stood tall with nine saves to keep her team alive. For Piedmont, senior Hannah Thompson played a remarkable two-way role, starting the game as a forward before switching to goalie in the second half. Her impact was felt immediately, as she made a diving save late in regulation to preserve the shutout.

In the shootout, the tension mounted after LaGrange converted its first three attempts. But the momentum shifted when the Panthers’ fourth shot sailed wide and Thompson managed to get a fingertip on the fifth, deflecting it off the crossbar. That save set the stage for sophomore Alison Witkiewicz, who calmly buried her kick to clinch the Lions’ third consecutive home shootout victory, dating back to their 2022 CCS Championship run.

The Lions (15-4-1) now turn their attention to the CCS Tournament Semifinals, where they will travel to face No. 2 seed Belhaven at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4.

—Ace Maddox

Men’s Soccer

The Piedmont University men’s soccer secured a hard-fought 2-1 overtime win over LaGrange College in the CCS Men’s Soccer Tournament, clinching the Lions a spot in the CCS semi-finals.

The Lions finished the match with a 15-9 shot advantage over LaGrange. Junior midfielder Davis Knight opened the scoring in the 67th minute off an assist from sophomore Juliann Pimentel. LaGrange tied the game 1-1 with two minutes left, sending the game into overtime. Sophomore defender Lyric Bratton secured the overtime winner in the 94th minute on a header from a Nico Serna corner kick, marking his first career goal. Senior goalkeeper Bobby Wood registered four saves as the Lions’ defense limited the Panthers to just four first-half shots and nine total attempts in the match.

“The game was hard; it was a physical game,” said sophomore Juliann Pimentel. “Both teams had opportunities, but we capitalized on our chances more than they did. When they scored the equalizer, instead of putting our heads up, I really saw it affect our team. I saw the change, and we needed to motivate each other. We were able to pick ourselves up, get the goal right away, so we are very thankful for that, and now our focus is on the game Saturday, and we are ready for a challenging semi-final match.”

Piedmont will now play at top-seeded Covenant College on Nov. 1 at 2:30 p.m. in the CCS semifinals.

—Sydney Spitzer

Women’s Cross Country

The Piedmont women’s cross country team took home a fourth-place finish out of the seven teams that competed in the CCS Championship.

The Lions were headlined by senior Bella Caccamo, who took home eighth place overall (out of 45 runners) with a time of 24:58.27. Caccamo’s time was a personal record by just over two minutes, and she was also named to the all-conference sportsmanship team and second team All-CCS.

“Getting a PR at conference was really great. I honestly had higher expectations for myself, but I am definitely happy with an eighth-place finish and a new PR,” said Caccamo. “But I think there’s still some unfinished business with region coming up in two weeks. I am really excited to gear up one more time for that.”

Following Caccamo, Madison Worsham finished in 21st, posting a 26:59.64; Katie Payne came in 30th with a 30:31.1; first-time runner Naomi Oti-Wapala finished in 36th, running a 31:49.87; and rounding it out for the Lions was Eva Doyne in 45th with a 38:56.49.

Every Piedmont runner set a new personal record, and the Lady Lions have a strong future foundation, with everyone but Caccamo a freshman and returning next season.

Caccamo will participate in the South Region Championship on Nov. 15, where she hopes to qualify for a spot in the national tournament.

—Max Peek

Volleyball

The Piedmont volleyball team traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, on Nov. 1, where they played in a doubleheader against Maryville College and Belhaven University. The Lions were swept against both teams, losing 0-3 in sets.

Going into the Belhaven and Maryville games was to compete while enjoying our last few games,” said senior Katie Hubbard. “We really emphasized finding a balance between the two and to just really come together as a team.”

In the first match versus Maryville, Hubbard led the team with five kills, one ace, and one block.

Senior Zoe Coelho’s defensive effort against the Scots was the game’s high point; in just three sets of play, the senior added a team-high 20 digs. Although the Lions were competitive in the first and second sets, the Scots overcame them to win all three.

In the last game of the regular season, Katie Hubbard’s explosive offensive effort led the Lions. The Aurora, Colorado senior nearly reached her career high, leading the team with 17 kills in just three sets and a productive hitting percentage of .268.

“I think in terms of the season as a whole, there was definitely room to improve, as we didn’t make the conference tournament, and that’s always the start of the season goal,” Hubbard said. “The team’s mentality was to just leave it all out on the floor and have no regrets.”

The Lions wrap up the 2025 season with a 7-25 record, 4-12 in the CCS.

—Hannah Thompson

Men’s & Women’s Swimming

The Piedmont University men’s and women’s swim teams both took home wins against Columbia College on Nov. 1.

After a rough start, the women started to come back in the women’s 200-yard freestyle, where junior Kelly Mashburn placed first with a time of 2:05.12.

Mashburn continued to impress throughout the meet. In the women’s 50-yard freestyle, she placed first again with a time of 26.57, placed second in the 500-yard freestyle, and later helped her relay win in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:47.28.

Overall, the women’s team took home a 173-58 win against Columbia College.

The men’s team started strong in the 200-yard relay, taking both first and second place. The first-place relay was composed of freshman Brady Bowman, junior Ryan Smith, sophomore Preston Allen and senior Luke Borgmann. Together, their winning time was 1:45.38.

 “Overall, I am happy with my performance from this meet, and my team’s performance has been outstanding,” Bowman said. “I cannot wait to see how we do at midseason and at conference.”

Sophomore Carmen Yeager took first place in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 5:05.32.

The men maintained their placements throughout the meet, securing multiple first-place wins, closing out with a 1:34.34win in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay, swam by junior Baden Stewart, and sophomores Carmen Yeager, Preston Allen and Henry Rickman.

The Piedmont men’s swim team left South Carolina with an impressive 191-39 win against Columbia College.

Both the men and women will next swim at the midseason invitational on Nov. 20-22.

—Allie Watkins