Pinson, Tenn - Cross country season is officially underway for the Freed-Hardeman Lions and Lady Lions as they kicked off their season at the Freed Speed Open, hosted by Freed-Hardeman at Pinson Mounds State Park. With this being the opening race of the season, both teams ran a 5K to ease their way into the longer races later down the stretch. The men's team took the starting line at 8am, and the individual race was shaping up to be similar to last year's. Three runners, including two Lions, broke away from the pack and made it a close race all the way to the end, resulting in a 1-2 finish for the Lions. This year, that 1-2 punch was Barrett Poe, picking up the win in 15:53, and Daniel Puckett, finishing runner-up in 15:55. Lucas Black finished 12th as the third finisher, Brock Windham in 20th, and freshman Luke Phillips made the most of his debut being a scorer in his first collegiate race. The Lions finished second as a team, behind conference foe Cumberland.

The women's team went back to back, claiming both the individual and team title. Mary Pearce picked up the win for the women, winning with a time of 19:22, an 11-second win. Freshman runners were the other four scorers for the Lady Lions. Hannah Gehlert picked up a podium finish in third place, followed by Billie Rose Johnson and Bella Lamb in seventh and eighth place respectively, and finally Clara Whitworth in thirteenth place. The Lady Lions had a team score of 36, good enough for a 24-point win. 

The cross country teams will continue their season next Saturday in Memphis, Tenn. at the Memphis Twilight race at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.