Crimson Tide Classic
Speaks 10th, Kats contend among nation's best
10/17/2015 12:11:00 AM | Cross Country, Cross Country
The Sam Houston State men's and women's cross country squads lined up against some of the nation's premier programs on Friday evening from Alabama's Crimson Classic, notching several strong performances including Chris Speaks' 10th-place finisher (24:46.68) in the 8,042-meter run.
Speaks helped lead the Bearkats to 343 points and 14th place among 31 squads, including 16 regionally-ranked teams. The junior has posted a first place, second place and now 10th place finisher through his three races this season.
Meanwhile, Evan Arambula took 70th (26:01.57), Grant Buley went 100th (26:26.02), Jeffrey Moore secured 101st (26:26.48), Colton Stoker secured 114th (26:38.94), Alex Hernandez captured 122nd (26:47.20) and John Bounds was 134th (26:58.72) among 218 competitors.
Oklahoma State captured the men's title with 27 points followed by Texas A&M (95 points). In the final race before the Southland Conference championships on Oct. 30 in Huntsville, league foe Houston Baptist took 12th (320 points) and McNeese State took 16th (349 points).
The women were led by Olivia Olguin's 66th-place finisher at 18:19.23 in the 4,953-meter run. The sophomore shaved over three seconds off her mark a season ago at the Classic to help Sam Houston to a 13th-place finisher and 440 points. The field included 12 regionally-ranked squads.
Nicole Aponte secured 88th (18:40.94), Cassidy Allen went 117th (19:01.67), Hannah Tarrant finished 126th (19:07.45) and Aliza Duenes captured 161st (19:37.52) among 234 competitors. Oklahoma State also paced the women, taking the top spot behind 30 points followed by host Alabama (71 points).
Sam Houston will have two weeks to prepare for the Southland championships on Oct. 30 from Huntsville's Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park. For the latest, follow @SHSU_TFXC on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
Players Mentioned
