Stephen F. Austin
NCAA Pre-National Invitational
Mathenge Highlights SFA’s Day at Pre-Nats
10/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Stephen F. Austin at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational
E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park • Louisville, Kentucky
Team Results: Men (28th of 42 teams); Women (37th of 45 teams)
Race Information: Men – 8k race (288 runners); Women – 6k race (311 runners)
Complete Results: Men | Women
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Stephen F. Austin men’s and women’s cross country teams lined up against some of the best collegiate distance runners in the nation on Saturday morning at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational in Louisville and got positive results from several athletes.
Junior Charles Mathenge didn’t let the massive field intimidate him in the slightest, nearly breaking his own 8,000m school record with a time of 23:38.2. He earned an impressive 20th place finish out of 288 runners to pace the Lumberjacks. Saturday’s mark was just six seconds behind his record breaking performance at Texas A&M during his last race on Sept. 26.
A 2014 qualifier for the NCAA Championships, Mathenge got a good look at the 2015 championship course (E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park) on Saturday. He will attempt to qualify for the national meet again during the regional competition in November.
Senior Nick Guerra improved on his time from three weeks ago in College Station, crossing next for the ‘Jacks in 126th position with a mark of 24:28.6. Jeffrey Weisheit (24:45.1), Colby Mehmen (24:51.8) and Anthony Gallardo (25:09.9) capped the top five for SFA.
The men’s team ended the day in 28th place (744 points) out of 42 teams, beating several big name schools including Kansas, Missouri, Georgia and Georgia Tech and finishing just behind Florida by 22 points. SFA was the only school from the SLC in action.
For the third straight meet, senior Shelby Pesek led the women’s team on Saturday morning. She took 105th place out of 311 runners with her time of 21:11.1. Also cracking the top 200 were Courtney High, who claimed 142nd in 21:23.2, and Rana Ryan with a 198th place time of 21:43.2 – a new personal best for the redshirt sophomore.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Anderson and true sophomore Brittany Innis finished back-to-back in 210th/211th position to cap the point scoring for the Ladyjacks. The duo each posted a time of 21:45.
The women finished 37th (846 points) out of 45 teams overall, getting wins over power five schools Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Georgia.
The ‘Jacks will next be in action on Friday, Oct. 30 for the Southland Conference Championships in Huntsville, Texas. Both teams will look to improve on their runner-up performances from a year ago in order to capture two team titles.
NCAA Pre-National Invitational
Men – 28th Place (744 points)
8,000 meters
20. Charles Mathenge – 23:38.2
126. Nick Guerra – 24:28.6
171. Jeffrey Weisheit – 24:45.1
192. Colby Mehmen – 24:51.8
235. Anthony Gallardo – 25:09.9
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241. Josh Torres – 25:13.7
242. Cody Brown – 25:14.4
271. Quinlin McGregor – 25:41.0
Women – 37th Place (846 points)
6,000 meters
105. Shelby Pesek – 21:11.1
142. Courtney High – 21:23.2
198. Rana Ryan – 21:43.2
210. Taylor Anderson – 21:45.7
211. Brittany Innis – 21:45.8
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228. Katrina Fite – 21:56.4
282. Samantha Ottman – 22:26.5
-SFA-
