On Saturday morning, the Montreat Cavaliers' track & field and cross-country teams were represented by three runners in the Huntersville Half Marathon in Huntersville, North Carolina. Two of the Cavs, Lydia Wilson (SO/Smithfield, VA / Distance) and Rylan Hincher (JR/Wilkesboro, NC / Distance), finished second in their respective men's and women's races. Fellow harrier Daniel Newcomb (JR/Candler, NC / Distance) turned in his best half marathon time at 1:29:28, good for fourth in the highly-competitive 20-24 age bracket.

Hincher registered the "B" standard with a time of 1:14:01, while Wilson clocked in at 1:28:05.69, good for the "A" standard required of a half marathon to qualify for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Nationals in the marathon.

"I was shooting for a goal time to qualify for the outdoor marathon and tried to play it safe for the first six miles with the 1:30 pacers. Then one of the pacers said to go catch the first-place girl and run a 1:28, so I took off from there and began to build my speed," said Wilson. "I felt really good and figured I didn't have anything to lose. In the end, the Lord gave me the strength to finish. I run for Him and am glad to have the opportunity to run for the glory of God and represent my team."

The race came after an evening when snow blanketed the Asheville area, but largely missed the Charlotte suburb of Huntersville. Light snow did fall during the race.

"We were very fortunate with the weather during the race and it was fun to be back on the roads racing. It's my favorite type because of the atmosphere," said Hincher. "A couple of small things kept me from running the race I was capable of, but I was glad to have the national standard knocked out going into Christmas break." Hincher battled a side stitch and stomach problems midway through the race.

"We're really excited to go into the break with two national qualifiers for the marathon. Both Rylan and Lydia pushed through and extended their training past the cross-country season and were able to hit the standard," said head coach Jason Lewkowicz, whose wife Wendy competed in her first half marathon alongside the Montreat runners. "Now they get to rest for a bit before we dial it back up again for track season."

The race concluded the Cavaliers' race schedule for the 2017 calendar year.

Next Up: Following the break, the Cavaliers compete in the Eastern Tennessee State University Invitational in nearby Johnson City, Tennessee on January 12 & 13. 

Pictured: (L to R) Rylan Hincher, Lydia Wilson, and Daniel Newcomb running in the Huntersville Half Marathon.

Photo Credit: Montreat Athletics