ELON, N.C. – Griffin Wald placed 12th in the men's 6K as UNCW men's and women's cross country kicked off the season at the Elon XC Opener on Friday night.

The men's team placed seventh overall in the 6K and the women's team finished eighth in the 4K.

Wald, a junior, ran his career-best 6k, clocking 18 minutes, 46.4 seconds to place 12th. He shattered his previous career-best time of 19:00.1, which he set at the 2023 Elon XC Opener.

On the men's side, senior Sam Bland ran 19:27.4 to place 32nd, while Taylor Anthony, also a senior, finished 33rd, running his career-best 6K in 19:27.7.

In their collegiate debuts, freshmen Jalyn DeLeon and Elizabeth Dokulil paced the women's team in the 4K. DeLeon finished 48th with a time of 15:25.3, while Dokulil placed 51st, running 15:35.5.