Stephen F. Austin
SLC Pre-Conference Meet
Lumberjacks Finish Second At Pre-Conference Meet
9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 26, 2011
Results |
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Ladyjack cross country team placed a pair of runners inside the top five, including junior Lauren Smith, who completed the 6,000-meter course at Piney Woods Country Club in 21:34.25 to win the women's side of the Southland Conference Pre-Conference Meet on Monday morning.
The SFA women finished in fourth place as a team with 70 points, coming in behind UTSA (47 points), McNeese State (67 points) and Texas State (68 points).
On the men's side, Xavier Rodriguez ran unattached and finished second out of 72 runners with a time of 25:36.53 over the 8,000-meter course, while Adam Saloom finished as the top scorer for the Lumberjacks in sixth place in a time of 26:18.32 to help SFA to a second-place finish in the meet with 59 points, just four points behind the winner UTSA.
In all, the Lumberjacks three runners in the top 15 and four of its top five scorers inside the top 20 to come in ahead of five schools that it will see again at the SLC Championships on Oct. 31, also at Piney Woods.
Nathan Collier showed well with an eighth-place finish with a time of 26:32.60 and Moses Luevano crossed in 14th place in 26:59.67. Jonus Rodriguez, Hunter Russell and Harmon McClanahan rounded out the scoring for SFA with Rodriguez in at 19th at 27:06.52, and Russell and McClanahan crossing back-to-back in 22nd and 23rd place in times of 27:09.18 and 27:14.73, respectively.
For the women, Smith was not the only one to put in a top-notch performance as Randi Plentl crossed the line in third place, just less than a minute behind Smith with a time of 22:33.16. Freshman Laurie Byrd, running in her first full-distance meet at the collegiate level also showed well with a 10th-place showing in 23:28.96.
Becca Blubaugh finished 20th in 24:28.43 and Amanda Walters rounded out the SFA lineup with a 40th-place finish in 26:12.80.
The Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks are next in action on Oct. 15 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Crimson Tide Classic. Two weeks later SFA will be back at home at Piney Woods for the SLC Championships.
-SFA-
