Cross Country is Building Momentum Heading into Back Half of Season
The Men's and Women's Cross-Country teams competed in the DBU Old Glory Gallup hosted by Dallas Baptist University in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Men's 8k race began at 8:15am and was followed by the Women's 5k race which started at 9:15am.
Coach Natnael Amare shared his thoughts on his teams' performances in today's meet.
"Today's race brought some tough competition and challenging hot, humid conditions, but the team showed great resilience. Both the men's and women's squads continue to make solid progress as we gear up for the conference championships in November. It's a work in progress, but we're moving in the right direction.
On the men's side, we're still dealing with a few lingering injuries, and if we can get our number three guy to 100%, I think we'll be in great shape moving forward. That said, I'm proud of the effort today. Luis and Miles really stepped up in a big way, delivering strong performances when it mattered. Alex also bounced back after being sick for a week, and his determination today was impressive.
For the women, they pushed through the tough conditions and showed grit, which is exactly what we need as we build toward November. They're coming together as a team, and I'm excited to see them continue to improve.
Looking ahead, we're hoping to make some adjustments to our final schedule for the season, possibly racing this coming Friday at OBU Arkansas. This would give us a great opportunity to fine-tune things and continue building momentum as we approach the conference championships.
We'll keep working on getting everyone healthy and ready to compete at our best, but I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing. Proud of the fight from both teams today!"
Freshman Isaac Cupp was the highest placing Eagle on the Men's side, placing 43rd out of 400 runners with an overall time of 25:16. Sophomore Zalenka Brannan was the highest placing Eagle for the Women placing 143rd out of 420 runners with a time of 19:20.