JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps men's and women's cross country programs are looking to post top finishes at the 2026 Southern Athletic Association Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, hosted by Sewanee at the Mountain Goat Course on Saturday. 
 
The women will cover six kilometers, beginning at 10 a.m., while the men will compete on an eight-kilometer course at 11 a.m. 
 
Both races will be streamed live at FloCollege.com and live results can be found here. The SAA Championship site is also accessible at this link as well. 
 
Last year at the 2025 conference championships, junior Greer Hernandez placed 26th overall, crossing the finish line in 26 minutes, 35 seconds after nearly 8K (4.97 miles). 
 
During the 2026 Fall season, Hernandez has competed in two meets and set a career best of 16:22.3 in the Mississippi 5K Opener on Sept. 4, finishing 31st.

Hernandez continued to impress throughout the season, improving his performance at the Southern Showcase 8K, where he placed 14th with a time of 26:15.6 in Huntsville, Ala. As a veteran on the team, The Broussard, La., native, is ready to help guide the Majors on Saturday. 
     
Sophomore Dallas Stricker is coming off a strong fall season, having competed in three meets during his second year with the Majors. 
 
Stricker set a career-best time of 26:55.1 at the Watson Collegiate Classic 8K, recording a strong 63rd-place finish. When called upon to step up for the team this season, the Picayune, Miss., native did so by placing 17th with a time of 27:48.3 at the Mountain Goat Classic on Oct. 3. 
 
Sophomore Benjamin Sylve has really stepped up this season finishing the Watson College XC Classic with a time of 27:46.3, for a lifetime best at 8K. He also placed 35th in 28:57.6 at the Mountain Goat Open two weeks prior. 
 
Sophomore Mason Castleberry competed in three meets this season, finishing 44th with a time of 29:34.0 at the Mountain Goat Open among 81 total finishers. 
 
Castleberry could potentially have a breakout run in the conference championships after improving his time down to 28:17.3 at the Watson Collegiate XC Classic on Oct. 16. 

Junior Phillip Antis ran in all four meets for the Majors during the 2026 season, proving that he has the talent to keep pace with every runner he has faced thus far in his junior campaign, which is why he is a key contributor on the team as well. 
 
One of Antis' best performances came on Oct. 3, when he finished 56th with a time of 30:34.7 at the Mountain Goat Open in Sewanee, Tenn. 
 
Freshmen Jonathan Brister, Damaurien Graves, Ethan Hall, Om Patel, R.T. Tate, and Kameron Willson have also ran well in their first seasons in Jackson. 
 
Tate (29:10.8), Hall (30.23.0), Brister (32:09.7), and Graves (34:24.2) all recorded personal-best times at the same Watson Collegiate XC Classic – the Majors' last meet before the championships. 
 
Willson and Patel opened the month of October with their best 8K times at the Mountain Goat Open. Willson ran 30:17.9, while Patel placed in 31:40.7. 
 
On the women's side, five of six Majors will travel to Sewanee to compete for conference supremacy. 
 
Junior Claudia Dempsey has paced the Majors or been close to the top of the pack in each of the four regular-season meets. 
 
In the 6K Mountain Goat Open, Dempsey placed 33rd in 26:59.1. She also placed 50th in 23:16.2 to begin the season at the Mississippi Christian 5K Opener on Sept. 4. 
 
A total of four Major freshmen student-athletes set person bests last meet at the Watson Collegiate XC Classic in Clinton, Miss. They included Lila Jane Sekinger (28:52.0), Caitlyn Bounds (29:33.4), Marlina Jones (29:34.5), and Myla Walker (31:21.4). Those four along with Dempsey should help the Majors score well as a team this season. 

 
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College men's and women's cross country programs follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook and visit gomajors.com. 
  
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.