Women's Cross Country Takes Second, Men's Finish in 11th at Upstate Invite

Alayna Carter (?) and Courtney Calhoun (?) running, Upstate Invite Recap

Women's Cross Country Takes Second, Men's Finish in 11th at Upstate Invite

10/18/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

By: Ben Kinealy, Kinealy_ben@mercer.edu

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer men's and women's cross country teams turned in a fantastic performance in their regular season finale at the Upstate Invite with the women's team finishing in second out of 36 teams while the men finished in 11th out of 37.

Mary Grace Parker continued her strong season, running a 17:18.5 5K to place fourth overall while Ania San Roman Lopez finished behind her with a 17:47.7 personal best 5K to place 12th. Freshman Alayna Carter came in 20th with an 18:07.7 5K, and Courtney Calhoun set a new personal best at 18:22.2 to finish 37th in the 5K. Abbie Kallbreier rounded out the top five for the Bears with her 18:38.5 personal best to place 56th overall. Paula Sandoval finished right behind her at 18:42.6 to finish in 57th and Kamryn Wingfield ran a personal best 18:44.4 to finish in 60th.

On the men's side, Will Poelker continued his fantastic season by running a personal best 25:06.9 8K to finish in 41st with Jake Peters placing second among the Bears with a 25:27.6 to finish in 66th place. Christopher Cerwinka placed highest among Mercer's freshman on the men's side, running a 25:34.1 personal best to finish in 77th. Chris Connolly and Andrew Jacknewitz rounded out the men's top 5 with both of them running a personal best at 25:48.2 and 25:52.0 to place 88th and 93rd, respectively.

The men's team had six more new personal bests in the 8K with Colby Bornstein finishing in 98th at 25:58.8. Freshman Ryan Judy ran a 26:18.4 to finish in 118th while Om Jagtap ran a 26:20.5 to place 122nd. Max Wakeland finished right behind the both of them with his personal best of 26:21.6. Freshmen Angus Brown and Hanniel Soosaidas rounded out the new personal bests on the men's side, running a 26:39.1 and 27:03.3 to place 148th and 180th, respectively.

In total, Mercer had 14 top 100 finishers across both teams with 14 new personal bests set across the weekend. The Bears will look to carry this momentum into the SoCon Championships on Oct. 31 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Springs, N.C.

Upstate Invite (October 17)
WOMEN'S 5K		MEN'S 8K
*Winner: Anna Callahan (16:58.7, Duke)*		Winner: Martin Iriondo *(23:47.9, Charleston Southern)*
4	Mary Grace Parker, 17:18.5	41	! Will Poelker, 25:06.9
12	! Ania San Roman Lopez, 17:47.7	66	Jake Peters, 25:27.6
20	Alayna Carter, 18:07.7	77	! Christopher Cerwinka, 25:34.1
37	! Courtney Calhoun, 18:22.2	88	! Chris Connolly 25:48.2
56	! Abbie Kallbreier, 18:38.5	93	! Andrew Jacknewitz, 25:52.0
57	Paula Sandoval, 18:42.6	98	! Colby Bornstein, 25:58.8
60	! Kamryn Wingfield, 18:44.4	118	! Ryan Judy, 26:18.4
100	Emily Ireland, 19:14.9	122	! Om Jagtap, 26:20.5
111	Ava Ryan, 19:23.2	124	! Max Wakeland, 26:21.6
124	Mackenzie Crowe, 19:41.0	148	! Angus Brown, 26:39.1
174	Abigail Winford, 20:21.8	180	! Hanniel Soosaidas, 27:03.3
		210	Will Herlihy, 27:32.9
		338	Brody Boerboom, 38:00.9
! = Personal Best