SEWANEE, Tenn. – Millsaps College competed well at the 2026 Southern Athletic Association Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday. The Millsaps men's and women's cross country teams were led by junior
Claudia Dempsey and sophomore
Dallas Stricker, who both placed in the top 50 at the Mountain Goat Cross Country Championship Course.
Dempsey posted a career-best improvement, covering six kilometers in 26 minutes, 1.4 seconds. Her efforts secured a 45th-place showing and improved on a lifetime best by 30 seconds.
Freshman
Lila Jane Sekinger posted a personal best time as well to secure 77th, covering the course in 28:44.8.
Additionally, classmates
Caityln Bounds (83rd; 30:00.9),
Marlina Jones (85th; 30:08.4), and
Myla Walker (88th; 33:14.9) closed their first collegiate championship in strong fashion.
Stricker paced the Majors in the 8K competition with an impressive 31st-place showing in 27:53.6. A trio of Majors in junior
Greer Hernandez, sophomore
Mason Castleberry, and sophomore
Benjamin Sylve finished closely packed. Hernandez (63rd; 29:27.8), Castleberry (68th; 29:41.0), and Sylve (71st; 29:48.9) added to the scoring.
Completing the team scoring was freshman
Kameron Willson, setting a new all-time fastest time of 30:09.2 to claim 78th position.
A group of four Millsaps freshmen student-athletes had their first taste of postseason pedigree. They featured
R.T. Tate (84th; 30:28.7),
Ethan Hall (89th; 31:07.4), junior
Phillip Antis (94th; 32:17.5),
Om Patel (97th; 33:04.6), and
Jonathan Brister (98th; 33:16.8).
Both Dempsey and Hernandez were named to the SAA All-Sportsmanship Team following the meet on Saturday.
The Majors will next compete in the NCAA South Region Championship in two weeks in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Nov. 14.
| MILLSAPS 8K FINISHERS – MEN |
|
|
|
|
| PLACE |
STUDENT-ATHLETE |
TIME |
NOTES |
| 31st |
Dallas Stricker |
27:53.6 |
|
| 63rd |
Greer Hernandez |
29:17.8 |
|
| 68th |
Mason Castleberry |
29:41.0 |
|
| 71st |
Benjamin Sylve |
29:48.9 |
|
| 78th |
Kameron Willson |
30:09.2 |
Personal Record |
| 84th |
R.T. Tate |
30:28.7 |
|
| 89th |
Ethan Hall |
31:07.4 |
|
| 94th |
Phillip Antis |
32:17.5 |
|
| 97th |
Om Patel |
33:04.6 |
|
| 98th |
Jonathan Brister |
33:16.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
| TEAM SCORES – MEN |
|
|
|
|
| PLACE |
TEAM |
POINTS |
|
| 1st |
Trinity |
40 |
|
| 2nd |
Centre |
65 |
|
| 3rd |
Rhodes |
75 |
|
| 4th |
Berry |
80 |
|
| 5th |
Sewanee |
97 |
|
| 6th |
Southwestern |
195 |
|
| 7th |
Maryville |
207 |
|
| 8th |
Oglethorpe |
208 |
|
| 9th |
Millsaps |
215 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| MILLSAPS 6K FINISHERS – WOMEN |
|
|
|
|
| PLACE |
STUDENT-ATHLETE |
TIME |
NOTES |
| 45th |
Claudia Dempsey |
26:01.4 |
Personal Record |
| 77th |
Lila Jane Sekinger |
28:44.8 |
Personal Record |
| 83rd |
Caitlyn Bounds |
30:00.9 |
|
| 85th |
Marlina Jones |
30:08.4 |
|
| 88th |
Myla Walker |
33:14.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| TEAM SCORES – WOMEN |
|
|
|
|
| PLACE |
TEAM |
POINTS |
|
| 1st |
Trinity |
19 |
|
| 2nd |
Rhodes |
66 |
|
| 3rd |
Centre |
93 |
|
| 4th |
Berry |
134 |
|
| 5th |
Oglethorpe |
153 |
|
| 6th |
Maryville |
172 |
|
| 7th |
Sewanee |
178 |
|
| 8th |
Southwestern |
179 |
|
| 9th |
Millsaps |
267 |
|
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.
