Friday, October 30
Spartanburg, SC
9:00 AM
Charleston Southern University Athletics
at
Big South Championships
Photo by: Jason Aigner / Big South
10/30/2026 3:50:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Charleston Southern continued to build on their historic run in the Big South as they clinched their seventh-consecutive league championship on Friday morning. Charleston Southern placed five runners inside the top ten including the first three finishers, paving the way for the title. Additionally, this becomes the second-longest stretch of consecutive titles in the event in league history.
Charleston Southern tallied a team score of 25 points ahead of High Point with 30 who claimed second. Between these two teams, they claimed each of the top ten individual finishes at the meet as the Panthers slotted each of their top five between 4-8.
Martin Iriondo won the meet with a time of 23:45.2 with teammate Griffin Gillespie right behind him at 23:46.5 and Elijah Pabon in third at 23:59.9. High Point's Avery Crowell was their first across the finish line with a time of 24:06.9, taking fourth overall. He had taken a solo lead over the field in the race near the end, but was unable to hold on to his edge in the final kilometer over the Buccaneers that were closing in on him.
After this, High Point had each of the next four finishers in the race to have all their top five in the shoot and clinch a team score of 30. The Buccaneers' Collin Kleinhen and William Reid continued to battle and move up in the field, taking ninth and tenth overall with times of 24:30.7 and 24:35.6. This concluded the Bucs' scoring with a team score of 25, clinching the team title for the seventh consecutive year.
Â
Charleston Southern had six total All-Conference finishes including Iriondo, Gillespie and Pabon each of the First-Team. There were three on the Second-Team from the Buccaneers as well with Kleinhen, Reid and Andrew Cleland (12th – 24:38.6) making it on this list. This marked the fourth time in program history that the Bucs have claimed the top three spots in the finish as well as back-to-back years of accomplishing it. The five-point difference between the teams is also ranked as tied for the fourth-smallest margin of victory.
The Buccaneers will be returning to Spartanburg again in two weeks as they will be competing in the NCAA Southeast Regionals. The race will be the third time that Charleston Southern has competed at the course with the meet to be held on the morning of Friday, November 13. The Buccaneer will be looking to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships at the meet which will be raced in Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 21.
CSU Individual Results
1 – Martin Iriondo– 23:45.2
2 – Griffin Gillespie – 23:46.5
3 – Elijah Pabon – 23:59.9
9 – Collin Kleinhen – 24:30.7
10 – William Reid – 24:35.6
12 – Andrew Cleland – 24:38.6
21 – Iwan Thomas – 25:09.9
28 – Jackson Lovvorn – 25:30.3
29 – Earlon Baker – 25:32.2
Final Team Results
1 – Charleston Southern (25)
2 – High Point (30)
3 – Radford (104)
4 – UNC Asheville (111)
5 – USC Upstate (160)
6 – Longwood (162)
7 – Presbyterian (215)
8 – Winthrop (229)
9 – Gardner-Webb (237)
Support the Buccaneers
Fans can support Charleston Southern Athletics through the Buc Club.
For the latest information on CSU cross country, follow the teams on social media or visit www.CSUSports.com.
Charleston Southern tallied a team score of 25 points ahead of High Point with 30 who claimed second. Between these two teams, they claimed each of the top ten individual finishes at the meet as the Panthers slotted each of their top five between 4-8.
Martin Iriondo won the meet with a time of 23:45.2 with teammate Griffin Gillespie right behind him at 23:46.5 and Elijah Pabon in third at 23:59.9. High Point's Avery Crowell was their first across the finish line with a time of 24:06.9, taking fourth overall. He had taken a solo lead over the field in the race near the end, but was unable to hold on to his edge in the final kilometer over the Buccaneers that were closing in on him.
After this, High Point had each of the next four finishers in the race to have all their top five in the shoot and clinch a team score of 30. The Buccaneers' Collin Kleinhen and William Reid continued to battle and move up in the field, taking ninth and tenth overall with times of 24:30.7 and 24:35.6. This concluded the Bucs' scoring with a team score of 25, clinching the team title for the seventh consecutive year.
Â
Charleston Southern had six total All-Conference finishes including Iriondo, Gillespie and Pabon each of the First-Team. There were three on the Second-Team from the Buccaneers as well with Kleinhen, Reid and Andrew Cleland (12th – 24:38.6) making it on this list. This marked the fourth time in program history that the Bucs have claimed the top three spots in the finish as well as back-to-back years of accomplishing it. The five-point difference between the teams is also ranked as tied for the fourth-smallest margin of victory.
The Buccaneers will be returning to Spartanburg again in two weeks as they will be competing in the NCAA Southeast Regionals. The race will be the third time that Charleston Southern has competed at the course with the meet to be held on the morning of Friday, November 13. The Buccaneer will be looking to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships at the meet which will be raced in Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 21.
CSU Individual Results
1 – Martin Iriondo– 23:45.2
2 – Griffin Gillespie – 23:46.5
3 – Elijah Pabon – 23:59.9
9 – Collin Kleinhen – 24:30.7
10 – William Reid – 24:35.6
12 – Andrew Cleland – 24:38.6
21 – Iwan Thomas – 25:09.9
28 – Jackson Lovvorn – 25:30.3
29 – Earlon Baker – 25:32.2
Final Team Results
1 – Charleston Southern (25)
2 – High Point (30)
3 – Radford (104)
4 – UNC Asheville (111)
5 – USC Upstate (160)
6 – Longwood (162)
7 – Presbyterian (215)
8 – Winthrop (229)
9 – Gardner-Webb (237)
Support the Buccaneers
Fans can support Charleston Southern Athletics through the Buc Club.
For the latest information on CSU cross country, follow the teams on social media or visit www.CSUSports.com.
---#BucStrong---
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
Saturday, October 31
Wednesday, October 28
Tuesday, October 27
Sunday, October 25
