ELON, N.C. — Catawba College opened the 2026 cross country season in impressive fashion Friday night, claiming the team title at the Friday Night Lights Elon XC Opener.
The Blue ane White posted a score of 66 to finish first among 14 teams at the Elon Cross Country Course. Catawba finished ahead of Coastal Carolina (82), High Point (87) Davidson (102) and host Elon (109) who rounded out the top five.
Catawba was led by senior Seth Caudill, who placed sixth overall in the 6-kilometer race with a time of 19:20.6. Caudill averaged 5:11.3 per mile and was the first Catawba runner across the finish line in a Division I heavy field.
Carson Wells followed closely behind in 12th place at 19:33.8, while senior Ian Pierce finished 13th in 19:34.4. Seth Roy added a 19:46.5 finish to place 18th, and freshman Kristian Rodriguez rounded out Catawba's top five in 22nd place with a time of 19:53.1.
The depth proved to be a major factor in the team victory, with all five scoring runners finishing within 33 seconds of one another. Tyler Arnold also finished inside the top 25, placing 24th in 19:55.4.
Catawba's next runners across the line included Tyler Shumate in 29th at 20:04.5, Michael Martinez in 31st at 20:08.7, Jay Olin in 34th at 20:16.8 and Seth Begley in 35th at 20:18.2.
The men finished with a team time of 1:38:08 and an average time of 19:37, earning the season-opening victory.
Catawba will continue its 2026 campaign at the Converse Kick-Off Sept. 19 and will look to build on Friday night's strong start.
