DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On the first Saturday in November, the Saint Leo men's cross country team took third at the Sunshine State Conference Championships on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's campus on a chilly 57-degree morning. The Lions took third behind the Eagles and Moccasins.
 
Saint Leo was paced by Tadgh McGinty who took 10th out of 93 runners in a time of 26:12.31 on the 8K course. 

"Very happy for Tadgh, individually," head coach Kent Reiber stated. "He's been struggling all season to find some consistency and he really stepped up today."

Reiber went on to say, "We knew it was going to be a battle coming into both races today, we're happy with our finish, but not satisfied. We'll put in a solid two weeks of training and fight for a spot to nationals." 
 
The Green and Gold placed six runners in the top-20 and seven inside the top-25. Shawn Bell finished in 15th in his first SSC Championship meet with a time of 26:30.21.
 
Bell was followed by Clement Goujon (16th, 26:31.53), Ethan Markey (17th, 26:31.82), Shane Bracken (19th, 26:34.89), Joshua Sickinger (20th, 26:39.68), Noah Quintana (22nd, 26:51.43), Tyler Pantley (36th, 27:06.92), Hunter Chavis (60th, 28:31.19), Mason Lamb (77th, 30:27.51), and Brandon Cruz (88th, 33:26.53).
 
The Lions tallied 77 total points with a team time of 2:12:21 for an average of 26:29.
 
Embry-Riddle finished with 26 total points to win the SSC title. The top three runners individually were from the Eagles roster where Shaun Bullock was the medalist in a time of 25:24.00.
 
Saint Leo will look to the NCAA South Region Championship on Nov. 17 in Lakeland, Fla. at Holloway Park.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo men's and women's cross country and track sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.