CEDAR CITY, Utah - In their lone home meet of the season on Oct. 4, the Southern Utah University cross country program put on a show for their spectators. In a field of four teams, the men earned second with a score of 62, and the women landed third with 68 points.

Coach Eric Houle said:

"To have a home meet here in this environment is really cool. Our teams performed about how I expected. We're young, and we're going to build and keep getting better and better. It's just one more step to the ultimate goal of getting ready for the Big Sky."

Men's Recap

In the men's 6K, the Thunderbirds raced well, tallying only 62 points for a second-place finish. Their score placed them ahead of Utah Tech University's 75 points and Snow College's 85, but no team could surpass an impressive score of 21 from Utah Valley University.

After missing Southern Utah's last competition, junior Logan Peel returned to the top of the Thunderbird team. His 19:22.9 6K placed him fifth in a field of 61 finishers. Redshirt-freshman Jacob Jones crossed the line next, earning eighth place with a time of 19:31.5. 

A 19:53.1 race lifted freshman Todd Yeates into 19th, while redshirt-freshman Tyler Saunders earned 23rd thanks to a 19:55.3 time. Joshua Hernandez rounded out the top five, taking 24th with a 19:56.2.

Team Results:
5th - Logan Peel - 19:22.9
8th - Jacob Jones - 19:31.5
19th - Todd Yeates - 19:53.1
23rd - Tyler Saunders - 19:55.3
24th - Joshua Hernandez - 19:56.2
27th - Cory Bunker - 19:59.4
28th - Garrison Shindler - 20:12.56

Women's Recap

In a fast-paced 4K, the women's team slotted in at third with a score of 68. Although the Thunderbirds fended off Utah Tech in last weekend's UC Riverside Invitational, the Trailblazers turned the tables today, scoring only 54.

Once again, freshman Aspen Hacker led the way, earning fourth in a field of 42 with a time of 14:40.3. Taking 12th and 14th, sophomore Audrey Hales and redshirt-freshman Nixie Killpack finished at 15:04.2 and 15:06.0, respectively.

The upper-classmen closed out the scoring, with junior Taylor Jorgensen's 15:17.8 landing her 19th and senior Sammi Stewart's 15:42.0 placing 25th.

Team Results:
4th - Aspen Hacker - 14:40.3
12th - Audrey Hales - 15:04.2
14th - Nixie Killpack - 15:06.0
19th - Taylor Jorgensen - 15:17.8
25th - Sammi Stewart - 15:42.0
34th - Claire Hoenes - 16:19.8
37th - Aldana Navarrete-Lamas - 16:30.9

Up Next

SUU will hit the road again to take on the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct. 18. The race will act as a final measuring-stick meet before the Thunderbirds enter their postseason.

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