Friday, August 29
Elon, NC
East Carolina University
at
Friday Night Lights
Alex Sawyer returns after an All-Conference campaign in 2024
Pirates Set to Open Season at Elon Friday Night Lights Opener
August 28, 2025 | Cross Country
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina cross country team is set to open its 2025 season at Elon's Friday Night Lights meet on Friday evening. The women's 4K race gets going at 8:15 p.m. with the men's 6K toeing the line at 8:45 p.m.
The meet will feature a selection of regional foes in: Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Davidson, Elon, Fayetteville State, Greensboro College, High Point, Meredith College, Montreat College, North Carolina A&T, Presbyterian, Shaw, UNCW, USC Sumter. The teams will be racing around a 1,000-meter loop of rolling hills on a grass surface under the lights.
The Pirates will be looking to build on some individual success in 2024 which saw two men, including returning Alex Sawyer, earn All-Conference honors. Sawyer, along with J Henry Lyon, was the first ECU runner to achieve an All-Conference finish since 2021. On the women's side, Erin Pope just missed on on a medal in 19th at the conference meet and will be looking for more in 2025. She'll be joined by fellow top-20 finisher Kaylee McCullough in leading the Pirate women.Â
Friday's meet will be the first opportunity in a season opener to see a new look ECU cross country team led by program director Virgil Givens and newly minted distance coach Luke Cunningham.
The meet will feature a selection of regional foes in: Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Davidson, Elon, Fayetteville State, Greensboro College, High Point, Meredith College, Montreat College, North Carolina A&T, Presbyterian, Shaw, UNCW, USC Sumter. The teams will be racing around a 1,000-meter loop of rolling hills on a grass surface under the lights.
The Pirates will be looking to build on some individual success in 2024 which saw two men, including returning Alex Sawyer, earn All-Conference honors. Sawyer, along with J Henry Lyon, was the first ECU runner to achieve an All-Conference finish since 2021. On the women's side, Erin Pope just missed on on a medal in 19th at the conference meet and will be looking for more in 2025. She'll be joined by fellow top-20 finisher Kaylee McCullough in leading the Pirate women.Â
Friday's meet will be the first opportunity in a season opener to see a new look ECU cross country team led by program director Virgil Givens and newly minted distance coach Luke Cunningham.
Players Mentioned
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