The LSU cross country teams opened their seasons with a pair of second-place finishes at the Bulldog Invitational in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday.
The Tigers were led by senior Richard Chautin, who crossed the line in 24 minutes, 41.13 seconds to finish first.
It was the Tigers’ first individual title since Joseph Simuchimba defeated the field in the 2008 LSU Invitational. The race also marked a return to competition for Chautin, who didn’t compete in 2009 after redshirting because of academic issues.
Four consecutive Mississippi State runners followed Chautin, which helped the Bulldogs claim the men’s title with 41 points to LSU’s 62.
“Not just winning the race, but actually running a very good time on that course is a testament to the commitment [Chautin] made since last year in terms of getting better as a runner,” said LSU coach Mark Elliott.
The Tigers also received strong performances from senior Tim Landry, who completed the course in a career-best 26 minutes, 1.56 seconds to finish eighth. Junior Cullen Doody, LSU’s top finisher in every race in 2009, finished 10th overall.
Junior Laura Carleton earned a fourth-place finish as the Lady Tigers also finished second to Mississippi State.
Her time of 18 minutes, 44.10 seconds was nearly a minute faster than her best time of 2009, when she finished 22nd at the LSU Invitational.
“It’s not far-fetched to know that we were going to be better this year with the women’s team,” Elliott said. “Cross country is not traditionally Laura’s strong suit, but she does compete well at it.”
The Lady Tigers also received a boost from transfer sophomores Brea and Dakota Goodman, who finished sixth and seventh overall.
Both teams will return to action next week when they host the LSU Invitational.
The teams finished third and fourth in the 2009 LSU Invitational, but Elliott said he’ll be looking at the times more than the results.
“You hope to see a bit more improvement than the week before,” he said. “Whatever situation we’ll face, we’ll just try to have our best effort on that day.”
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Contact Ryan Ginn at [email protected]