PORTALES, N.M. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Cross Country wrapped up the Lone Star Conference Championships Saturday morning, with both teams placing 11th.
The women finished with 271 points and the men 320 points.
"Today's meet was a hard-fought race for both teams," said Head Coach Mason Rhodes. "Our ladies had a good number of season bests for a 6k race. We have done a great job preparing for that race distance this year. Now we have one final race to see how good we can be."
Rachel Malik paced the Lions with a 28th-place finish 23:38.80 while Zoe Nesbitt was 57th in 25:12.76. Hailey Malik was the third Lion to cross the line in 64th in 25:25.72.
Rounding out the top five for UAFS were Madison Thurston in 76th in 26:10.32 and Jennifer Martinez in 83rd in 26:31.57. Cecilia Perez and Kailey Pentz completed the top-seven scoring runners for the Lions.
"The men's team had a hard day," Rhodes added. "They dealt with very warm temperatures and a competitive field. They put themselves in the best position to run well and competed with their hearts. We have a few things to touch up going into regionals, but I expect them to finish on a high note this season."
Corey Maxwell was the top men's finisher with a 49th-place showing in 27:29.28. Parker Brown was next in 64th in 28:14.50 while Isaac Teague placed 86th in 29:04.02. Luke Bledsoe finished 89th in 29:19.68 and Eko Tuel completed the top five in 96th in 29:49.87.
Tyreek Gilkey and Stihl Snyder were the sixth and seventh Lions to round out the scoring.
The Lions will have one final race this year with the NCAA South Central Regional November 4 in Lubbock, Texas.
