Friday, September 18
Cary, N.C.
5:50 PM ET
Liberty University
at
adidas XC Challenge
Ethan Pedersen (front middle) and Andrew Schultz (front right) led the Liberty men's team to a third-place showing on Friday.
Liberty Men’s, Women’s XC Post Matching 3rd-Place Finishes
9/18/2026 9:28:00 PM | Cross Country
CARY, N.C. – The Liberty men's and women's cross country squads both came away with third-place finishes at the adidas XC Challenge, contested Friday evening at WakeMed Cross Country Course.
Featuring a tight 18-second spread between No. 1 runner Andrew Schultz and No. 5 finisher Eric Duncan, Liberty totaled 110 points for third place in the 15-team men's 6K field. It marked the Flames' third top-three showing in as many years at this meet. No. 8 Wake Forest dominated the field, winning by 41 points (25-66) over host team NC State.
Running in her hometown, senior Ryann Aycock paced the Lady Flames with a 29th-place finish in the women's 5K. Liberty ended up third of 16 women's squads with 124 points, trailing only a pair of nationally ranked opponents (No. 1 NC State won with 21 points, while No. 16 South Carolina was second with 40).
Race Reactions
For the first time since 2017, Liberty will take its full men's and women's squads to Bethlehem, Pa., for the 52nd Paul Short Run. The meet is slated for Oct. 2 at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
Featuring a tight 18-second spread between No. 1 runner Andrew Schultz and No. 5 finisher Eric Duncan, Liberty totaled 110 points for third place in the 15-team men's 6K field. It marked the Flames' third top-three showing in as many years at this meet. No. 8 Wake Forest dominated the field, winning by 41 points (25-66) over host team NC State.
Running in her hometown, senior Ryann Aycock paced the Lady Flames with a 29th-place finish in the women's 5K. Liberty ended up third of 16 women's squads with 124 points, trailing only a pair of nationally ranked opponents (No. 1 NC State won with 21 points, while No. 16 South Carolina was second with 40).
Race Reactions
- The Liberty men's team's recent string of success in Cary includes a team title in 2024, a runner-up finish in 2025 and a third-place showing on Friday.
- Schultz (18th place, 18:27.9) served as Liberty's top finisher for the second time in as many meets to begin his junior season. He also recorded his second straight top-20 finish at the adidas XC Challenge, following a 19th-place effort a year ago.
- The Flames' five men's scorers also included senior Ethan Pedersen (26th, 18:41.0), freshman William Zealand (28th, 18:42.2), junior Eli Julian (29th, 18:43.5) and freshman Eric Duncan (32nd, 18:45.9).
- Zealand closed strongly, moving up from 43rd to 28th during the final two kilometers.
- No. 6 finisher Zane Lindquist (34th place, 18:47.7) played a key role in the Flames' third-place team showing. He overtook High Point's No. 4 and 5 runners late in the race, enabling Liberty to top the Panthers by one point in the final standings, 110 to 111.
- The Flames' 18-second spread between their top five runners came two weeks after just 7.5 seconds separated Liberty's No. 1 and 5 men's finishers in the Eye Opener 8K in Spartanburg, S.C.
- Aycock (29th place, 17:43.3) served as the Lady Flames' top finisher for the first time in her career, stepping up in All-American Allie Zealand's absence.
- Liberty's other scorers included junior Rachel Hill (33rd, 17:58.4), junior Raini Mayo (37th, 18:08.4), senior Molly Lashley (39th, 18:11.9) and senior Ava Gordon (47th, 18:27.2).
- The Lady Flames' next two finishers (sophomore Eden Alexander – 48th, 18:28.6 and senior Sophia Park – 65th, 18:56.0) each moved up 11 positions during the final mile-plus.
- The start of the women's 5K was delayed by approximately 30 minutes due to thunderstorms in the area.
For the first time since 2017, Liberty will take its full men's and women's squads to Bethlehem, Pa., for the 52nd Paul Short Run. The meet is slated for Oct. 2 at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
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