CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charleston Southern women's cross country walked away with several pieces of hardware following the conclusion of the Big South Conference Championships Friday, including two Buccaneers winning individual awards.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Maddie Wheatly was tabbed the conference's top freshman, becoming the first Bucs runner in school history to receive the honor. The Johns Creek, Georgia, native started her rookie campaign in solid fashion, winning the individual title at the season-opening Buccaneer Invitational with a time of 18:33.5 in the 5K event.

She lowered her career-best time to 18:30.0 on her way to a 13th-place result at Friday's league meet. It shaved 50 seconds off her previous time on the course, a 19:20.5, at the High Point VertCross in mid-October.

Wheatly also posted a time of 22:43.3 in the FSU XC Open 6K in mid-September during her second collegiate meet.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Taylor Barnes was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year, her second overall honor of that type after claiming the 2021 outdoor track & field award. She was the recipient of the 2021 Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence from the conference and also was named to three-straight All-Big South Conference Academic Teams, starting in 2019 and concluding Friday with the 2021 distinction.

Barnes, a Florence, South Carolina, product, finished as the Bucs' top runner at the 2021 High Point VertCross with a fourth-place time of 13th-place time of 18:30.9, five seconds behind her season-low of 18:25.7 at Friday's league race on her way to a 10th-place time.

She also turned in a 10th-place time of 19.22.2 in the first meet of the fall, the Buccaneer Invitational, while running to a time of 19:09.8 in the early-Oct. Chanticleer Challenge. She clocked a 6K time of 23:28.9 at the FSU XC Open Sept. 17.

Barnes also landed a spot on the league's all-academic team for 2021.

ALL-CONFERENCE
Four other accolades were presented to Charleston Southern runners following the conclusion of Friday's league meet, as the top-seven finishers garnered All-Big South First Team honors and the next-seven placements earned All-Big South Second Team plaudits.

Caroline Inman represented the Bucs on the first time after her sixth-place time of 18:17.3. It's her third career all-league award after also receiving the nod in 2018 and 2019.

On the second team, Barnes, Anne Akagi and Wheatly gave Charleston Southern the most representation of any league school after the trio placed 10th, 12th and 13th overall.

It is the third-straight season in which Barnes collected All-Big South honors, while it marks the first time for Akagi and Wheatly.

Individual Champion
Hannah Moran, Radford
 
Freshman of the Year
Maddie Wheatly, Charleston Southern
                         
Coach of the Year
Sam Bradley, Radford
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Taylor Barnes, Charleston Southern
 
All-Conference Team (Top 14 Finishers)
First-Team
Hannah Moran, Radford
Dorcus Ewoi, Campbell
Lesego Mpshe, Campbell
Lindsey Ickes, High Point
Clara Wincheski, UNC Asheville
Caroline Inman, Charleston Southern
Sydney Bagus, High Point
 
Second-Team
Rachel Werking, Radford
Camryn Harper, High Point
Taylor Barnes, Charleston Southern
Rachel Millirons, Radford
Anne Akagi, Charleston Southern
Maddie Wheatly, Charleston Southern
Olive Allen, High Point
 
All-Academic Team
Lesego Mpshe, Campbell
Taylor Barnes, Charleston Southern
Ashley Eavenson, Gardner-Webb
Zuri Rashad, Hampton
Lindsey Ickes, High Point
Caroline Fairbanks, Longwood
Lili Jaraczewski, Presbyterian College
Rachel Millirons, Radford
India Appleton, UNC Asheville
Laura Yarborough, USC Upstate
Olivia Esselman, Winthrop