Spartanburg, SC -- The Piedmont College men's and women's cross country teams competed this morning to open the 2009 season at the 26th Annual USC-Upstate Eye-Opener Classic. The squads raced against a field largely consisting of NCAA Division's I and II institutions and recorded four individual times per team.

Pacing the Lady Lions was Erin McAllister who completed the 5K course in 25:09. Newcomer Courtney Powell crossed the line in 26:16 while fellow freshman Michelle Sosia closely followed in 26:30. Rounding out the field was Anna McClatchy who posted a time of 27:01.

On the men's side newcomer Wesley Milton led the Lions with an 8K time of 30:25. Teammates Aaron Saylor and Matt Collins crossed in 30:37 and 31:48 respectively while Montez Jones followed in 34:25.

The teams will return to the course on Saturday, September 12th as they travel to the Berry College Invitational in Rome, GA with the men taking off at 9:00 and the women beginning at 9:45.