KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – Three weeks of rest from their last meet paid off for both the Converse University men's and women's cross country teams as they put on strong showings at the 2025 Conference Carolinas Championships on Friday afternoon.

The Converse women finished second as a team at the race, the second straight year they have earned a runner-up finish and the fifth consecutive year they have finished inside the top three. The Converse men finished fourth, the program's second-highest finish at the championship behind last year's silver-medal finish.

Sophomore Alex Porter finished first for the men, the third time he has had such a finish this season. Freshman Evie De Roos was the anchor on the women's side, finishing first for the Valkyries for the fourth time this season in as many races.

Porter and sophomore Ander Vera Moleres earned All-Conference honors on the men's side. Porter was a second-team honoree while Vera Moleres was a third-team honoree. On the women's side, De Roos and sophomore Sara Aguiar Torre earned second-team honors. Junior Paisley Stepp was a thrid-team honoree.

Men's Notes:

• Porter finished 14th overall and first for the Valkyries with a time of 26:17.53 in the men's 8K. He was just under 32 seconds off the lead.
• Fellow sophomore Ander Vera Moleres was the team's next finisher in 17th with a time of 26:32.51.
• Sophomore Marti Ruiz Barreda and senior Jaxon Wright finished consecutively in 28th and 29th respectively. Ruiz Barreda finished with a time of 27:12.20 and Wright finished with a time of 27:14.03.
• Freshman Benjamin Notarangelo was the last Valkyrie in the money with a time of 27:20.80. He finished better than the top runner on six different teams.
• Freshman James Hook and sophomore Reece Evans finished within 10 places of one another to round out the alternates. Hook finished 47th with a time of 27:52.03 while Evans finished the race with a time of 28:14.50.
• Junior Hunter Heron and senior Zackery Carver finished consecutively in 80th and 81st. They posted times of 29:02.63 and 29:06.55 respectively.

Women's Notes:  

• De Roos finished the race 10th overall and first for the Valkyries. She ran a time of 23:51.82 in the 6K.
• Aguiar Torre finished next for the Valkyries in 14th with a time of 24:00.01.
• Stepp finished just three places later with a time of 24:22.65.
• The Valkyries' next finisher was freshman Ines Pierrefitte, who ran a time of 24:39.19, finishing in 22nd place.
• Sophomore Peyton MacMillan was the final Valkyrie to score, posting a time of 25:01.12 and finishing in 25th place.
• Junior Mackenzie Crandell finished just over six seconds later in 28th with a time of 25:07.65.
• Sophomore Hailey Jones finished 57th with a time of 27:12.06.
• Freshman Angelica Panchelyuga rounded out the Valkyries with a time of 27:58.76. She finished 68th.

Next Up:
The Valkyries will gear up for the NCAA Southeast Regional on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Wingate, North Carolina. The meet, hosted by the No. 2/6 Wingate Bulldogs, is set to begin at 9 A.M.
  
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