Vanderbilt Women’s and Men’s Cross Country finished 10th out of 16 schools and 14th out of 14 schools, respectively, at the 2025 SEC Cross Country Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Oct. 31. The meet marked the first of three postseason meets for Vanderbilt’s runners. 

Both the men’s and women’s teams finished one place lower than last season at this meet. None of the six Vanderbilt athletes who earned their personal best times at the 2024 SEC Championships beat those times this year. 

Graduate student Tyla Tumley led the women’s team with a time of 20:56.86 in the 6-kilometer race, earning her 35th place. Close behind her was junior Bria Bennis, who finished in 36th place with a personal record time of 20:59.92. Sophomores Lily Kreigel and Claire Petersen rounded out the Commodores’ top-100 women finishers with times of 21:09.11 (47th place) and 21:15.12 (51st place), respectively. 

“Today gave us a glimpse into our immediate future,” director of cross country Althea Thomas said. “The team competed hard and showed a lot of heart out there. Luke [Churchwell], [Tumley] and [Bennis] showed tremendous leadership as upperclassmen and experienced runners. Their daily professionalism motivates the team, and we saw that in how everyone competed from the start of the race.” 

In the men’s 8-kilometer race, the Commodores stuck together for the most part, with eight of the nine runners finishing from 91st to 104th place. Junior Luke Churchwell led the team with a 59th-place finish at a time of 24:43.19.  

“We’ve got a few things to sharpen up, but I really like where we’re at,” Thomas said. “The best is definitely still to come. Our eyes are set on regionals in two weeks” 

The Commodores’ postseason continues in Huntsville, Alabama, for the NCAA South Region Championships on Nov. 14.