Three set personal bests as Gaston College completes final tune up before Region 10 championships

Gaston College's cross country team had three individuals set personal bests Saturday morning at the USC Upstate Invite at the Milliken Resarch Center course in Spartanburg, S.C.

It was the Rhinos' final race before they defend their Region 10 title at the 2025 region championship meet at the Cleveland Community College course on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 11:15 a.m.

"This was a crazy fast meet but I think it'll help us in our championship meet," Gaston College coach Kody Kubbs said. "We're excited and the ladies know that course and have experience on that course in Shelby. They're really looking forward to it."

Facing a talented field of 23 scoring teams and 217 runners in Spartanburg, Gaston College sophomore Lexi Birtwistle bettered her previous record by 36 seconds with a 19 minute, 42.2 second clocking for a 96th overall finish.

"She's definitely been a frontrunner," Kubbs said of Birtwistle, who has taken individual medalist honors twice this season and enters the Region 10 championships as a favorite to take a third. "She gets out fast and maintains. We like her chances and the strategy of how she's going to run it."

Another sophomore, Maddie Frank, finished 169th with a 22:22.9 time, following by a pair of freshmen Sasha Harrelson (210th, 27:30.5) and Carson Summey (213th, 28:38.6) who each set personal bests.

Seventeen of the 23 teams in Saturday morning's field were NCAA Division I and team champion Jacksonville State is currently ranked 15th in the NCAA South region.

Kubbs is confident the team's fifth runner, freshman Heidi Rodriguez Hernandez, will be healthy enough to run in the region championships.

"Last year, getting over that edge was really big," Kubbs said of the 2024 Region 10 title won by his team. "And this year's team has set their sights set on this. Hopefully, the training pays off and we can have a good run and defend our title."