GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College cross country team will be competing at the 2013 Food Lion SAC Championship this Saturday morning in Black Mountain, N.C. as student-athletes from all 12 member institutions will be competing.

The Women's 5K race will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 10 a.m. Both races will take place at Montreat College's Black Mountain campus.

The Mars Hill men are looking to capture the program's 17th consecutive SAC title, while Lenoir-Rhyne is the defending women's champion.

First-year TC head coach Cory Pratt brings 13 letter-winners to this year's SAC Championship, including six on the men's side and seven on the women's team.

Anchoring the men's team is 2012 All-Southeast Region harrier David Cooper. The Greeneville, Tenn. junior finished fourth at last year's conference championship, which earned him a spot on the All-SAC first team. Cooper has been TC's top runner in 2013, including a season-best 13th-place finish at the Hyder-McMahill Invitational, which was held on the same Black Mountain layout the SAC championship will be decided upon. Cooper finished with a time of 27:12.80 in last month's race at Black Mountain.

Greeneville, Tenn. sophomore Lawson Burrow has competed in every TC meet this season. The Chuckey-Doak High School graduate placed 63rd at the Montreat course to open the season with a time of 30:17.86. In 2012, Burrow finished 25th at the SAC Championship and 73rd at the NCAA Southeast Regional.

Junior Zachary Simpson has finished second or third on amongst the Pioneers this season. The Clinton, Tenn. (Clinton HS) product finished 33rd at the Hyder-McMahill Invitational with a time of 28:56.50. He also finished 69th at the VMI Invitational. He finished 53rd at last year's SAC Championship.

The men's team includes three newcomers who will be running in their first-ever SAC Championship this weekend. Former Pioneer men's basketball player James Clay will be making his SAC debut on Saturday as the Lawrenceville, Ga. senior has competed in every meet this year for the Pioneers..

Sevierville, Tenn. freshman Cory Ramsey has ran in all four meets this year, including a 69th place performance at the Hyder-McMahill Invitational. While at Sevier County High School, he was a three-time All-County selection (2010, 2011, 2012) and finished 10th at the IMAC Conference Championship, earning him a spot on the All-IMAC squad.

Rounding out the newcomers on the men's squad is Rogersville, Tenn. freshman Isaac Ringley. The four-time All-Region and All-Conference honoree at Volunteer High School continues to battle back following a horrific automobile crash in January that had him in critical condition. Ringley finished 79th at the VMI Invitational and 99th in Montreat.

Newcomer Samantha Johns has emerged as the top runner for the Tusculum women. The Maryville, Tenn. freshman lettered in cross country and track at William Blount High School, and was named her team's most valuable runner. She finished 33rd at the Greater Louisville Classic and 50th at the Royal Cross County Challenge.

On the women's side, six returning letter-winners have been making solid contributions, including 2012 SAC All-Freshman honoree Maggie Bernabei. The Crossville, Tenn. sophomore finished 24th at the last month's Hyder-McMahill Invitational. The Cumberland County High School graduate placed 31st at the 2012 SAC Championship, finishing amongst the top-five freshmen in the meet.

Greeneville, Tenn. sophomore Paige Bible has been consistent in her second TC campaign. The Greeneville High School alum finished 35th at the 2012 SAC Championship. In 2013, she placed 49th at the Montreat event with a time of 21;33.55.

The lone senior on this year's roster is Scarborough, Ontario, Canada native Kim Brown. Brown, who has competed as a two-sport student-athlete the last three years on both the TC cross country and women's soccer teams, has competed full time with the Pioneers.

Parrottsville, Tenn. junior Ashley Gregg is back after competing in all eight events last fall. The Cocke County High Scholl alum finished 80th at the Montreat event and 89th at the VMI Invitational this year.

Allison Hall, a sophomore from Greeneville, Tenn., accounted for five top-50 finishes a year ago, while competing in all eight events. The Greeneville High School product has ran in three events this fall, including her 91st place finish at the VMI Invitational.

Hendersonville, Tenn. junior Lakesa Hendrix rounds out the line-up for Tusculum. The Station Camp High School graduate has competed in every meet this fall for the Pioneers, including her 92nd place finish.

- SAC -