Wildcats Earn Historic 2nd Place Finish at Mid-South Conference Championship

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -The Bethel men's and women's cross country teams wrapped up an outstanding showing at the Mid-South Conference Championship, highlighted by a historic 2nd-place team finish for the men — the highest since joining the conference.

Men's 8K Recap

Senior Cedrion Cook led the Wildcats with an impressive performance in the men's 8K. Despite rolling his ankle before the halfway point, Cook battled through to finish 10th overall with a time of 26:41, earning Second Team All-Conference honors and a qualification to the NAIA Cross Country National Championship in Tallahassee, Florida.

Hudson Wallace followed closely behind, placing 12th overall with a time of 27:00, also securing Second Team All-Conference honors.
Dennis KipKemboi clocked a 28:18 to finish 27th, while Hayden Padgett ran 28:44 for 34th place. San'Darius Coleman was close behind at 28:50, finishing 36th.
Rounding out the team were Chandler Roberson (29:56, 43rd), Ryan Coley (30:50, 52nd), Jacob McKinney (33:58, 61st), and Holden Shew (34:25, 64th).

The men's team's collective effort secured them a 2nd-place finish overall out of seven teams, marking a milestone achievement for the program.

Coach Wes Bradshaw praised his team's performance, saying:

"I am extremely proud of the team for their work ethic and dedication this season. The team set a goal that had never been achieved since we joined the Mid-South Conference — to finish 2nd at conference. They executed their individual goals for the sake of the team's success, and I couldn't be more ecstatic."

Women's 6K Recap

On the women's side, Monseratt Serrano led the Lady Wildcats with a season-best time of 24:52, finishing 15th overall.
Shelci Caballero ran a personal best of 27:17 to finish 39th, followed by Hailey Wallace with a season best of 29:08 for 50th. Addison Roberson also recorded a season best of 29:34 to place 51st.
Sharon Cherop ran a personal best 30:26 (54th), and Khristina Parker achieved a personal best 35:37 (57th).

The women's team placed 6th overall out of 7 teams, showing strong improvement across the board with multiple personal and season bests.

Coach Bradshaw shared his pride in the women's team, saying:

"I'm proud of the hard work and dedication the ladies have shown this season. Virtually every race featured personal or season best times, which is always the goal. We had a great year, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for this team."