The Eagle men’s and women’s cross country teams began their 2010 campaigns Saturday, making the short trip to Tulsa, Okla., for the Hurricane Invitational at Mohawk Park.
Both teams had a solid performance against solid fields that were dominated by NCAA Div I schools.
Senior David Rannabarger was the top finisher on the men’s side with a time 21:53 for the 4-miles race. Another solid performance came from senior James Hensel (23:16) and Devon Arredondo (23:36), all of whom ran faster than they started last season. New comers Austin Blain (23:57), Patrick Buntt (25:23) and Andrew Townes (25: 37) also had a good first time outing.
On the women’s side, freshman Allie Antrim led the way with a time of 12:11 in the 2-miles event. She finished 22nd on the overall list of starters.
Another newcomer Genevieve Estes was the second Lady Eagle to cross the line – her time being 13:14. Seniors Micah Jenner (13:30) and Lisa Lord (13:55) were the other top finishers. Completing the results were
Jannette Young (14:56), Shannon Coutouzis (15:24), Kelsie Crouch (17:01) and Anna Lamar (17:02).
Overall Coach Smith was pleased by his team’s performance stating “Overall I was very satisfied with the first meet performances. Our preparation started a little later than I wanted to so I had to rush getting into different phases. It was a very grueling first three weeks leading up to this meeting so to see the team come out and fought the way they did against the bigger schools was remarkable.”
Both the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams are set to compete next in the Friends Cross Country Invitational on September 10th.
