Tulsa
Missouri Southern Stampede
TU Women Cross Country Sweep Missouri Stampede
9/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 18, 2010
JOPLIN, Mo. - Senior Katie Wright outkicked junior teammate Paula Whiting down the stretch to win individual honors, and The University of Tulsa women's cross country team had a perfect day at the Missouri Southern Stampede Saturday morning.
Wright won the 5K event in a time of 16:47.02, and Whiting was right behind in a time of 16:48.12. The next three finishers were all members of the Golden Hurricane, starting with senior Melanie Cleland who finished third in 17:14.9. Junior Jacqueline Fairchild finished fourth in 17:17.91, and sophomore Jaclyn Rollins crossed right after Fairchild in 17:19.75.
The runners had to deal with hot, sticky conditions that wore down competitors throughout the event. TU did not seem fazed by the hot weather, however, as they easily took home top honors.
There were 302 competitors overall that finished and 36 teams. Tulsa took them all down with its perfect score of 15. Rounding out the top five team finishers in order were Midwestern State University (117), Missouri Southern State University (148), Cowley County Community College (193) and Dallas Baptist University (194).
"This was an exciting day for us," assistant coach Debbie King said. "Our top girls packed it up and ran together. Everyone ran well as a group today, which is so important in cross country. The weather was disgusting, but they worked hard, pulled it together and ran spectacular."
Other members of the Golden Hurricane to compete were sophomore Ashley Scott (11th), sophomore Sarah Macpherson (15th), sophomore Erin Huddleston (28th), senior Laura Englehutt (46th), sophomore Tricity Andrew (68th), and junior Zoraya Hightower (99th).
The top members of the men's team, as per the team strategy to prepare for the rest of the season, pushed their threshold for the first four miles and pulled out of the race.
Of those who finished the 8K event on the men's side, sophomore Mitch Johnson paced TU with his 41st-place finish. Other Tulsa finishers were freshman Emmett Cookson (94th), freshman Will LePage (97th), junior Bill Martin (98th), sophomore Kevin Mayer (101st), and sophomore Derek Eidt (248th).
There were 311 runners who completed the race and 34 teams total. Tulsa placed 14th overall in the team competition.
The next event for the Golden Hurricane will be the OSU Cowboy Jamboree Sept. 25 in Stillwater, Okla.
