Thunderbirds Finish Several in the Top-Half of a Loaded National Field

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Southern Utah cross country found the best in the nation to be just that as the Thunderbirds finished 24th on the men's side and 22nd on the women's side at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday afternoon. SUU scores would have translated into top-10 finishes for both the men and women, had the T-Birds ran in the slower race, but head coach Eric Houle was pleased to have the team experience the speed and crowds in the faster race.

"Going into the race I said that it was great that we were respected enough to be put in the faster race. But, it was hard for our young athletes to run against the best in the country," he said following the meet. "Our athletes looked a little scared because they have never been in this kind of environment, but we're hoping that this will pay dividends for us down the road, it is just the price you have to pay."

Sophomore Cameron Levins (24:38) turned in the best performance for the men with freshman Nate Jewkes (24:38) just behind as the duo finished 54th and 55th. The finishes were in the top quarter of the pack including runners from 13 top-five regionally ranked teams.

Another freshman, Nigel Sharp, narrowly missed a top-half finish after running the 8k course in 25:17, crossing the line in 116th.

On the women's side, freshman Jamie Smith led the Thunderbirds for the second consecutive meet, finishing in the top half of the pack with an 18:08 time and a 100th-place finish. Freshman teammate Kirsten Sly was on the fringe of a top-half finish after running 18:13 to finish 113th.

Southern Utah was the only team from The Summit League to race in the faster heat, racing against 13 top-five regional opponents on the men's side and 16 top-five regional opponents on the women's side. The women had the added pressure of racing against four of the top-seeded teams in their respective region. Florida State swept both team titles as the No. 1-ranked Seminole women accumulated 88 points, while the No. 3-ranked men's squad finished with 81 points.

SUU will be running in Cedar City next weekend when the team hosts its only cross country meet of the season on Oct. 11. The Color Country Invitational is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. with the men's race, followed by the women's race at 9:45 a.m. at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course.

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Players Mentioned

Jamie Smith: 5' 4"; Freshman

Cameron Levins: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Nigel Sharp: 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jamie Smith
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Cameron Levins
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Nigel Sharp
: 5' 8"; Freshman