Oct. 20, 2008
Seven teams gathered together on the Kurth Landrum Golf Course
early Saturday morning to race at Southwestern's annual home cross
country meet, the Southwestern University Open.
The men's team placed second out six teams competing, losing only
to Division I Texas State. Consistent with his performance earlier
in the season, Ben
Sloan again led the men's team, coming in eighth place with a
time of 28:12. Four more Pirates would follow Sloan in short time:
Allen Smith (9th,
28:24), Josh
Gideon (11th, 28:40), Addison English
(13th, 28:47) and Sebastian Winkler
(16th, 28:51).
The spread between the top five runners, which is the group used
for scoring in cross country, was a mere thirty-nine seconds, a
pack that head coach Francie Larrieu
Smith called "the best ever in my years coaching here at SU."
It was also the first time the top five runners at Southwestern
have finished under twenty-nine minutes in the 8K race.
Senior Tami
Warner once again came in first for the women's team, taking
fourth place with a time of 23:45. Kristin Lahaie
followed in 12th at 25:18, a season best, with the scoring rounded
out by Kelly
Parmet (24th, 28:07), Lisa Morse (28th, 28:42)
and Dianna
Urrego (34th, 29:20). The women's team, which placed fourth,
did not race four other runners due to injury.
"I was impressed by first year Lisa Morris' run," said Smith.
"While she is new to racing, she is beginning to demonstrate her
competitive season." Dianna Urrego, who
moved up in standing in the final hundred meters, "had perhaps her
strongest finish kick ever."
The race was a fitting ending for the Pirates' regular season. The
team will take next weekend off as they prepare for the SCAC Cross
Country Championships, hosted by Rhodes in Memphis, Tennessee on
November 1.