HARROGATE, Tenn. -- As the end of the year approaches, the Lincoln Memorial University athletics department is counting down the top 20 moments of 2015. For moment No. 18, we feature a program-first for the men's and women's cross country teams.
 
A number of firsts occurred on a cool and rainy Saturday morning on October 24 at Wasioto Winds Golf Course in Pineville, Ky., as Lincoln Memorial hosted its first South Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championship meet in program history, held its first cross country meet of any kind since 2010, and organized the first SAC tournament in any sport to be held in Kentucky.
 
The Railsplitters finished fourth in the SAC Championship run, landing both Blaine Benitez (Lubbock, Texas) and Jorge Hernandez (Mount Pleasant, Texas) on the All-SAC honorable mention squad. The Lady Railsplitters placed sixth and were led by Whitney Elliott's (LaFollette, Tenn.) fifth-place individual performance, which earned the junior racer All-SAC first team distinctions.
 
Lincoln Memorial and the hundreds of spectators in attendance also got to witness the end of a dynasty, as Queens captured the men's cross country championship to snap Mars Hill's streak of 17 straight SAC titles.
 
With hosting duties for all of the SAC Championships already planned through the 2023-24 seasons, Lincoln Memorial will not host the league's cross country championship again between now and then.
 
The top 20 moments of 2015 countdown continues on Sunday with moment No. 17.

Top 20 moments of 2015