CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WVU Tech put together a day full of progress Friday at the Royals Cross Country Challenge, with two Golden Bears climbing the program's all-time 8K list and nine men's finishers improving on their times from the Bethany Invitational.

Evan McElwayne finished 12th overall in a personal-best 26:24.6, moving to No. 7 on Tech's all-time 8K list, while Jan Ponsa's personal-best 27:33.9 put him at No. 15. The Golden Bear men finished ninth with 286 points.

Women's race

Lexie Wikel once again led the Golden Bear women, completing the 5K in 21:07.8 to finish 68th overall.

Peyton Asbury gave Tech its second finisher, crossing in 26:10.1 to place 132nd. With two runners completing the race, WVU Tech did not record a team score.

Men's race

McElwayne led the way for Tech, placing 12th overall in 26:24.6. His time was 40.9 seconds faster than the 27:05.5 mark that previously stood as his best in the WVU Tech record book, moving him from No. 8 to No. 7 on the program's all-time 8K list. 

Ponsa followed with a personal-best 27:33.9, finishing 54th. His performance also earned him a place in the record book at No. 15 on Tech's all-time 8K list. 

Freshmen Maddox Wickline and Evan Bishop crossed less than three seconds apart. Wickline finished 104th in 29:11.7, while Bishop took 106th in 29:14.1. Both recorded personal bests.

Eli Jordan was Tech's fifth scorer, placing 130th in a season-best 29:57.4 to complete the Golden Bears' 286-point team total.

Freshman Tristan Toler added another personal best with a 30:50.9 finish, placing 156th, while freshman Savva Frank crossed 171st in 31:58.1.

Freshman David Northrop finished 175th in 32:51.9, followed by senior Cade Curfman in 178th with a season-best 33:10.3. Freshman Jayzen Grace rounded out Tech's finishers with a personal-best 38:32.2, placing 183rd.

Improvement ran throughout the Golden Bear lineup. Nine of Tech's 10 finishers ran faster than their 8K times at Bethany, including Frank, who competed unattached at that meet. Jordan made the biggest jump, cutting 5 minutes, 47 seconds from his Bethany time. Wickline improved by 4:10.7, while Grace took 4:02.3 off his previous 8K. The Bethany results also confirm improvements for McElwayne, Ponsa, Bishop, Toler, Frank and Curfman.

McElwayne and Ponsa now give the current Golden Bear roster two runners among the top 15 on WVU Tech's all-time 8K list. The program record remains Dan Nehnevaj's 25:11.2, set at the 2018 Louisville Classic.

What's next

WVU Tech returns to competition Friday, Oct. 23, at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge in Knoxville, Tenn. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. 

Season snapshot

• Meets completed: 3
• Men's team finishes: Fourth at the Eagle Cross Country Challenge, fourth at the Bethany Invitational and ninth at the Royals Cross Country Challenge
• Best men's individual finish: Evan McElwayne, second at the Bethany Invitational
• Best women's individual finish: Lexie Wikel, fifth at the Eagle Cross Country Challenge
• Top-10 individual finishes: 4
• All-time 8K list: McElwayne No. 7 at 26:24.6; Ponsa No. 15 at 27:33.9

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