LSU cross country coach Mark Elliott said after the Auburn Invitational on Sept. 30 that his teams’ performance was the best ever at a competitive meet.
On Saturday at the Chile Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Elliott said he was again happy with how well his teams ran, despite not getting the result he desired.
“I am pleased with the way we competed,” Elliott said. “Individually everyone either ran a personal record or close to their personal record.”
The men’s team placed No. 17 thanks to another strong performance from senior Drew Haro.
Haro paced the men’s team for the third straight race with a No. 50 finish.
“It has been a goal of mine for a long time to represent our team the best way that I can,” Haro said. “Since I’ve been on the team a few years now, I have wanted to do more and more for my team each year.”
Junior Michael Hendry was the only other Tiger to score, placing No. 78.
The University of Texas at El Paso won the men’s meet, upsetting No. 2 Arkansas.
Arkansas coach John McDonnell said his team has been limited this season because of illnesses.
“We’ve had some sicknesses, viruses and colds throughout the year,” he said. “I think overall we are in good shape.”
The women’s team finished No. 19 because of strong performances by juniors Rachael Graham and Megan Broussard.
Graham led the women’s team and placed No. 73.
Her performance marks the third time in four races that she finished first for the women’s team.
Broussard followed her No. 23 finish at the Auburn Invitational with a No. 99 finish in Fayetteville.
Arkansas easily won the women’s meet, finishing 91 points ahead of No. 20 Duke.
The Tigers’ next competition is the Southeastern Conference Championships on Oct. 28 in Baton Rouge.
Although the teams did not finish as well as they would have liked at the Chile Pepper Invitational, Haro said he is pleased with the way the season is going.
“Our team is finally coming together,” he said. “I expect that our team will be both physically and mentally ready to represent LSU well at the SEC Championships.”
Elliott said he is optimistic because of where LSU finished in relation to the other SEC schools.
“The women were second among SEC teams, and the men were fourth,” he said. “For us that is a good indication of where we stand conference-wise.”
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]