OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's and women's cross country teams will be returning to the course to begin the 2024 season this weekend at the Evangels will be running in the Southern Nazarene Invitational at Eldon Lyon Park on Saturday. The men's race is slated to begin at 8 a.m. while the women's race will be immediately following at approximately 8:30 a.m.
A program that was restarted last year following a 13-year hiatus, the MACU men's and women's cross country programs put together a highly successful first season under head coach Merritt Suenram.
The men's team ended up posting a top four finish at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships at Eldon Lyon Park on Nov. 4 while also qualifying for the program's first ever NCCAA National Championship event. At the NCCAA Nationals on Nov. 10, the Evangels put together a very respectable seventh-place finish.
The men's team returns a strong portion of its squad from last season as Ethan Hillis is expected to make some improved strides in his sophomore campaign.
On-top of the returners, MACU brings in a strong core of newcomers that are expected to make an immediate impact. Even though he will miss this weekend's race due to injury, Coach Suenram expects freshman Alexander Pebeahsy to make some big contributions after a great high school career at Anadarko High School, where he was a two-time All-State honoree while holding the program's 5K course record at 16:20.
The Evangels also added some other strong high school talent to this year's roster that will make some strong contributions, including a trio of Bridge Creek talents in Aidan Collins, Connor Gerth, Jaden Rodriguez as well as U.S. Grant standout Cameron Pearson.
On the women's side, the Evangels will be paced once again by their first ever NCCAA All-American and All-SAC honoree Gracie Sanders, who turned in a 10th place finish at last year's SAC Championship as well as a sixth-place closeout at the NCCAA National Championships.
Former MACU women's basketball talent senior Ainsley Velasquez will also look to be a big addition along with a couple of talented freshmen in Southeast High School's Jacqueline Torres, Moore High School's Diana Perry and Westmoore High's Brooklyn Atnip.
