CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2017 season Saturday morning, competing at the WCU Cross Country Festival hosted by Western Carolina.  Both teams earned fourth-place team finishes on the afternoon.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs set four new individual personal-records throughout the event.
 
The women's team competed on a two-mile course, with Gabby Cortese pacing the Runnin' Bulldogs with a time of 12:00.44 to earn a 21st-place finish.  That set a new GWU record for the event. Brittany Ollivierre clocked in at 12:53.35 to finish in 27th-place, and Hannah Jones finished in 31st place with a time of 13:04.93.  Christina McGuirt finished in 33rd-place, clocking in at 13:12.98 in her first cross country event and Sydney Davis finished in 40th-place with a time of 13:34.65.  Rachel White placed in 42nd-place with a time of 13:46.89, while Michaela Williams rounded out the field of GWU runners in 44th-place, crossing the line at 14:00.52.
 
Keaton Poole led the men's runners with a personal-best time of 16:08.01 on the 5k course, finishing in 13th-place overall.  Mitchell Brown clocked in at 16:46.91 in his first race as a Runnin' Bulldog to earn a 31st-place finish, while Josh Parks finished in 40th-place with a time of 17:19.58, a new personal-record.  Ezekiel Martin finished in 43rd-place, timing in at a personal-best time of 17:41.83, while newcomer Bogdan Podgaisky clocked in at 23:28.75 to earn a 52nd-place finish.
 
The University of Georgia took home first-place team finishes for both the women's and men's events.