ACWORTH, Ga. – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s cross country teams each sealed team victories in the season opener at the 2025 Stan Sims Invite. The Jackets scored a 1-2 finish in the 5k run as Lottie Chappell crossed the line first with freshman Caitlin Thomas finishing second.
Chappell began her junior campaign with a first-place finish, clocking a 17:18.72. She overtook her previous 5k record time by over 17 seconds. This marks her first collegiate cross country victory and first individual event victory after helping the Jackets to an outdoor relay win last season.
Thomas made her collegiate debut and broke through immediately with a second-place finish, timed at 17:23.32. She was followed by Claire Shelton and Maddie Jones, finishing fourth and fifth, before Gracie Marston and Sadie Honig rounded out the top-10.
The women’s team scored 19 points, 20 points ahead of second-placed Kennesaw State at 39 points to secure a third-consecutive win at the invite. The Yellow Jackets had two podium finishers, four top-five finishers, and six top-10 finishers. Three freshmen finished within a minute of Chappell’s winning time.
The men’s side showcased the depth of its squad with a team victory in the first race of the season. The first GT runner across the line in the men’s 4-mile event was Joey Sandel with a personal best run of 19:26.47 in fourth place before Matt Castronuovo finished fifth.
A swarm of Yellow Jackets finished seventh through 11th before all nine runners finished in the top-15 of the race. Tech scored 30 points to beat out Kennesaw State with 32 points for a second consecutive team win at Allatoona Creek Park.
Georgia Tech will continue its season at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama on September 12.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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