by Mac Bailey
Last weekend, Tigers’ Cross Country traveled to Memphis for the annual Rhodes Invitational. Despite both a rough course and hot weather, both the men and women’s teams showed great effort, placing 17th.
A couple weeks prior to the Rhodes Invitational, the team traveled to the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic, where they set some good personal record times in the cool weather. Though the weather made for a rough race in Memphis, the Tigers still showed that they had greatly improved in the two-week training period before.
Mark McAlister led the men’s team with a time of 28:03, placing 47th. Other top finishers on the men’s team were Logan Stockton (28:38-75th), Alec Hill (29:32-92nd), Bradford Lepik (30:11-111th), and Eli Lavender (30:56-131st). The men’s team placed 17th, just beating conference rival Millsaps.
Willow Smith led the women with a time of 24:14, placing 38th in the women’s race. Top women’s finishers were also Zoe Dubin (24:34-45th), Ansley McDurmon (24:36-48th), Parker Goss (25:10-69th), and Amy Lee (25:14-71st). The women placed 9th overall, and 3rd among SAA teams.
Overall, each memberof the team made clear the fact that they had greatly improved since the last meet. The course was a very hilly one, with little shade, and, unfortunately, the team was not blessed with the terrific weather they saw at Vanderbilt. However, unlike other teams, the Tigers did not encounter any heat-related injuries. Each runner put in their best effort, achieving the goal times they sought.
On Tuesday, October 1st, the Tigers’ women’s team was ranked tenth in the South/Southeast region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III Regional Rankings.
Be sure to come and support the team at the Sewanee Twilight Invitational on October 11th!