Brian Bett set a 10K school record at the 2024 cross country NCAA South Regional race, placing 20th on Nov. 15 with a time of 30:34.9 in Tallahassee, Fla. All runners up to 25th place are named for the All-Region selection.
The competition joined cross country programs from many Division I power schools such as the University of Alabama, Ole Miss, and Florida State. Overall, the men’s team finished 15th out of 26, having finished 22nd in the 2023 race. The women’s finished 29th.
Bett and fellow freshman Vincent Chepkwony, 47th with a time of 31:21.8, debuted the race. At the same time, seniors Adam Nipper, 113th with a 33:01.9, and Noah Bonsall,127th with a 33:28.9, wrapped up their cross country career. Sophomore Brent Lyons finished 118th with a time of 33:13.6.
The Lions came prepared with high momentum on their shoulders from an incredible ASUN Championship performance where Bett earned first place, alongside Runner and Freshman of the Year.
“I definitely felt like we were prepared and ready to go, and the expectations were to be better than we’ve been in the past,” head coach Connor Callahan, who joined the team for his first season in July, said about the ASUN race.
“And, then, just having some of those individual conversations with Brian. It was, you know, ‘What’s the goal coach?’ And I said, ‘The goal is to not worry about time, but worry about place, and let’s see what we can do. You could run the slowest time of the season. If you win, I will be going crazy.’ And then he goes out there and wins.”
The ASUN win brought UNA coaches together on joint hope and emotion. Callahan said Chris Walker, soccer head coach, texted him, “I don’t think I’ve ever paid so much attention to live results, and followed a cross country meet, and just kept refreshing my page, wondering, is the race over? Did he win? Did he win?”
Callahan said Bett’s, alongside his peers, ASUN Championship performance was what motivated the teams to succeed in the South Regional. “Freedom in our minds” and low stress but high focus are characteristics of the head coach’s administration.
Leading up to the Regional race and the 2025 season, the team finds itself in the presence of a leader in time and placement, which has been a recurrent conversation within the cross country program.
“What we say is, we don’t win alone, and we don’t do those things just by ourselves. It takes a whole team,” Callahan said. “So, Brian being number one and Vincent, you know, being in that top 15 helped our team placement big time, and helped the men and women be motivated as well. Seeing a teammate that they see every day at practice, that they’ve seen training to go out there and win. It helps motivate them because it’s one of those ‘what can I do now myself?’”
Nipper, Bonsall, Lyons, Aidan Shannonand Chepkwony all achieved personal records for the 10K in the South Regional race.
On the women’s side, Aalyiah Charo, with a 24:01.6, and Camille Etheridge, with a 23:10.2, also surpassed their own personal records.
Running some personal records was a goal Callahan was sure the team could, and did, achieve. Having a week off leading up to the regional race was crucial for the teams’ performances.
With the season having come to an end, the cross country program can now prepare for the 2025 season while carrying high momentum into the off-season.
