Men’s Cross Country Finishes Second; Women Finish Fourth at ACCC Championships 

 HUNTSVILLE - The Shelton State Community College men's cross country team finished runner-up at the 2025 ACCC Cross Country Championships this morning in Huntsville. 

The No. 12 team in the country, Shelton State men finished second out of 13 ACCC teams, placing behind nationally ranked No. 2 Wallace State and ahead of No. 15 Calhoun and No. 18 Northeast Alabama.

The Bucs recorded the fastest team time in program history, with all five scorers breaking the 28-minute barrier.

"The men have been as consistent as any team I've coached," head coach Charles Tiller said. 

"These freshmen came in as one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, and they have not disappointed."

Four of the top five runners posted personal records, as did six of the ten total competitors.

Isaiah Crosslin, running out of the No. 1 spot for the first time this season, narrowly missed the school record with a 27:06 to finish seventh place overall.

Crosslin, Drew Dykes and Brady Jones all finished in the Top 12 to earn All-ACCC honors.

Dykes (27:10.47) finished ninth and Jones (27:22.45) finished 12th. Rounding out the top 5 were Ben Guthrie (27:55.77) and Matthew Waldrop (27:58.46).

"The men ran phenomenally well," Tiller said. "We race as a team and everyone played a role today."

Crosslin, Jones, Guthrie, and Waldrop all ran personal bests on Friday.

Other times for the Buccaneers - Logan Rogers(28:16.48), Dane Ard (29:43.82), Will Harrison(29:51.61), Jakob Salter (32:14.24).

"Our sophomores - Brady Jones, Matthew Waldrop, and Will Harrison - have really come into their own over the last month. It's great to see their hard work pay off," Tiller said. 

The Shelton State women's cross country team finished fourth at the ACCC Championships.   

The No. 18 nationally ranked Lady Bucs finished fourth out of 10 schools, behind nationally ranked No. 3 Wallace State, No. 9 Northeast Alabama, and No. 16 Calhoun, and ahead of No. 15 Gadsden State.

"The women are competing at a high level while working through a number of obstacles," Tiller said. 

Hattie Hurst (20:35.05) led the women's team with an 11th place finish to earn All-ACCC honors. She has paced the Bucs in four of five races this year. 

"Hattie continues to pace this young team," Tiller added. "Sophomore leadership is so important."

Maya Jones (21:05.16), Emma Heppner(21:29.72), and Hannah Berryman (22:03.68) finished in the Top 25.

Amari Simmons (22:15.23), Gracie Hall(22:17.27), Anna Peak (22:27.26), and Zoe Lucas (23:14.54) finished in the Top 40. Mia Busby (25:06.24) finished in the Top 70.

Simmons, Hall and Peak all had personal bests, while Heppner and Lucas had season best times. 

Next up for the Bucs is the NJCAA Nationals in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 8