Young Harris College Athletics

Assistant coach Alexander Andrade Sosa played a key role in the continued growth of the Young Harris cross country program in 2024. The season kicked off with a record-breaking recruiting class of 22 new athletes. The women’s team earned a third-place finish at the 2nd Annual Young Harris Opener in September and secured a top-10 finish at the Conference Carolinas Championship in October. The men’s team claimed second place at the home opener and finished sixth at the conference championship. Standout runners Emily Baars and Austin Sullivan were named Conference Carolinas Runners of the Week in October, while Liam King earned the prestigious Elite 23 award for the second straight year.

In 2023, the Mountain Lions competed in six meets, including the first-ever YHC Cross Country Invitational. Luke Surowiec was named PBC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned CSC Academic All-American Third Team honors. Five athletes—Dylan DiCicco, Hayden Durrett, Liam King, Thomas Mellendorf, and Surowiec—were selected to the DII Academic All-District Team. In November, Young Harris announced the addition of men’s and women’s track and field, expanding competitive opportunities for student-athletes.