SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The 2020 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course in Macon, Georgia. Mercer is hosting the championship for the first time since it joined the conference in 2014. 
 
The men’s 8K race begins at 10 a.m. ET, and the women’s 5K will follow at 10:45 a.m. ET. At the conclusion of the women’s race, the meet will close out with an awards ceremony to recognize the top teams and individual runners. 
 
The Furman Paladins, whose men’s and women’s programs have each won seven straight titles, won the 2019 men’s and women’s championship titles at the Pine Oaks Golf Course in Johnson, Tennessee. Both Paladin squads return to this year’s championship with hopes to take home an eighth team title, as they are led by Robert Gary, who is the seven-time defending men’s and women’s SoCon Coach of the Year. The Furman women’s team is ranked 10^th nationally, while the men are tied for 28th in the USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll. 
 
Last year, Wofford’s Hannah Steelman won her second individual SoCon cross country title, completing the course with a time of 17:02.08. 
 
On the men’s side, Furman’s Ryan Adams led the way with a time of 24:40.72 to take home first. 
 
Eight of the conference’s 10 cross country teams competed in at least one meet this season, with only Furman and UNCG yet to compete. All eight teams last competed on Oct. 30, when Mercer, Samford, Chattanooga, and Western Carolina had a preview of the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course at the Mercer Invitational, while Wofford, ETSU and The Citadel competed at the Newberry Invitational in Newberry, South Carolina. That same day, VMI took on the Tom Scott Open Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
Spectators are permitted to attend the event. Masks or face coverings are mandatory while at the competition site, and spectators will not have access to the participants until the conclusion of the awards ceremony.
 
Admission to the meet is free. Visit the SoCon Cross Country Championships page for live results, photos and more from the championship.