Top Times Fall as Thunderbirds Compete in Pre-National Meet

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Oct. 18 - Southern Utah's men finished near the top half of their race as the top three women all broke through into the top five all-time 6k times at SUU as the Thunderbirds competed in the Pre-Nationals Meet in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday morning. Sophomore Cameron Levins and freshman Jamie Smith were the top finisher for the T-Birds.

"We competed very well today," head coach Eric Houle said after the meet. "Our men did great, especially when compared to other teams in the state and the women ran among some of the best times we've seen at this school. All-in-all it was a very good meet for us."

Levins' time of 24:22 broke into the top 50 of the 276-member field with a 41st-place finish. Freshmen Nate Jewkes and Nigel Sharp trailed him, crossing the line in 105th and 155th with times of 24:57 and 25:21. Graham Cheever (199th, 25:42) and Dave Sheeran (214th, 25:53) rounded out the team score. The men finished 26th of 41 teams in the men's field with an overall team score of 714. The finish was better than teams from Nebraska, Arizona, Georgia, Utah State others.

The women's top three finishers, Jamie Smith (118th, 22:04), Kirsten Sly (139th, 22:13) and Steffi Minson (146th, 22:18) each left their mark on the record books of SUU, ranking third, fourth and fifth, respectively on the all-time 6k top performance list. Lynzee Baxter and Kiersten Blauer completed the team score, finishing 203rd and 224th with times of 23:00 and 23:23, respectively. The women finished 33rd out of 39 teams, besting notable teams such as Ohio State and Mississippi.

The meet was the final event for the Thunderbirds prior to The Summit League Cross Country Championships. Southern Utah will look to defend its team titles on the men's and women's side when the race gets underway in Shreveport, La. on November 1.

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Players Mentioned

Lynzee Baxter: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Kiersten Blauer: 5' 5"; Freshman

Steffi Minson: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Jamie Smith: 5' 4"; Freshman

Graham Cheever: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Cameron Levins: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Nigel Sharp: 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Lynzee Baxter
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Kiersten Blauer
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Steffi Minson
: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Jamie Smith
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Graham Cheever
: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Cameron Levins
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Nigel Sharp
: 5' 8"; Freshman