HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Anderson's men's cross country team, currently ranked No. 21 nationally, competed in the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State on Friday, finishing 8th in the field of 54 teams with 458 athletes. Of the seven teams preceding the Trojans, all be Lee University were Division I programs, including Alabama, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisville. 

"Our men went for it from the gun and had an amazing day on a wet, mushy course," said Cross Country Head Coach Kevin Eagle. "To come out and race like this during a season opener, it shows how good this team can be in 2 months." 

Leading the way for the Trojans was Elliot Dotson (Greenville, S.C.) who ran a 24:20 race for a 14th-place finish. In his first race following a year-long injury recovery, Spain Vaughan (Greer, S.C.) finished 35th with a time of 24:44. 

In their debut race for the Black and Gold, Erskine-transfers Angel Galan (Santa Marta de Tormes, Spain) (24:58) and Joey Tindale (Rock Hill, S.C.) (25:46) finished 50th and 96th respectively, bookending freshman William Cronin's (Lexington, S.C.) 69th-place finish. Cronin ran a 25:25 for his collegiate debut race. 

Rounding out the scoring for Anderson was Ty Nelson (Moore, S.C.) with a time of 25:48 and Jack Barrett (Greenville, S.C), who ran 25:49. David Willams (Irmo, S.C.) finished with a time of 25:57, followed by Sean McAdams (Greenville, S.C.) crossing the line at 27:00. 

"We're happy with the way we performed today," added Eagle, "but are still hungry to get even stronger when we toe the next line." 

A full list of results can be found here. 

The Trojans are back next week (Sept. 21) at the Converse Kick-Off Classic in Spartanburg, S.C.