Men's Cross Country | 9/28/2026 12:16:00 PM
BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. — The LeMoyne Owen College men's cross country team continued its upward trajectory Saturday, turning in its strongest team performance of the season with a third-place finish at the Topper Trails College Classic.
The Magicians finished with 69 points, placing behind host Blue Mountain Christian and Tougaloo while securing their best team finish of the 2026 campaign.
Leading the way was sophomore Julian Tallant, who delivered one of the strongest individual performances of the season for LOC. Tallant crossed the finish line in 31:41.6 to place sixth overall, averaging 6:22 per mile. His sixth-place finish gave the Magicians their first scorer across the line and put an LOC runner firmly among the meet's leaders.
Tallant was one of three Magicians to finish inside the top 20 overall. Freshman Antonio Hardin continued his strong first collegiate season by finishing 16th overall in 34:13.4, while junior Isaiah Fields followed with a 19th-place finish in 36:43.5. The trio's performances gave LeMoyne Owen three runners among the meet's top 20 and played a major role in securing the third-place team finish.
Sophomore Terrence Stephenson Jr. was LOC's fourth finisher, crossing in 38:15.5 for 22nd overall, while junior Charles Smith rounded out the Magicians' scoring five in 30th place with a time of 46:43.1.
The performance also added another chapter to LeMoyne Owen's rivalry with Lane College. The Magicians finished ahead of the Dragons for the second consecutive meet, following LOC's advantage over Lane at the Rhodes Invitational. At Topper Trails, Lane did not record the five finishers necessary for a team score, while LeMoyne Owen placed five runners and secured third overall.
For Head Coach Christopher Davis II, the result is another sign that the Magicians are moving in the right direction as the championship portion of the season approaches.
"We're improving meet after meet! We have only one more meet in October before the Conference Championships, so I'm just glad we have time to go back in the lab and continue to get better."
With their best team finish of the season now behind them and three runners coming off top-20 performances, the Magicians will have time to return to training and continue building toward the championship portion of their schedule.
LeMoyne Owen will return to action on Friday, October 16, when the Magicians travel to Clinton, Mississippi, to compete in The Watson Collegiate XC Classic at Choctaw Trails. The meet will serve as LOC's final competition before the SIAC Cross Country Championships, giving the Magicians one final opportunity to sharpen up before turning their attention toward conference.
