The LSU men’s and women’s cross country teams displayed improvement from the opening meet of the season as both teams took second place in the McNeese Cowboy Stampede in Lake Charles on Saturday.
Junior Philip Primeaux led the way for the Tigers with a fourth place overall finish and a time of 20 minutes, 5.69 seconds, a career best in the four-mile distance. Juniors William Wiesler and Bryan Mutell helped contribute to the men’s strong finish as well, placing 12th and 16th respectively.
The Tigers’ total of 71 points put them right behind McNeese State, who won the meet with a total of 17 points. LSU finished above  the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, which won the meet last season.
Junior Andria Aguilar directed the Lady Tigers with a 5th place finish. Youth followed Aguilar as the next four Lady Tigers to finish were all either sophomores or freshmen, including freshman Chaiss Matthews who took 12th place overall.
The Lady Tigers finished only 19 points behind meet champions Tulane, despite replacing most of the members from LSU’s Stampede winning team from last year. Four of the top five finishers from last year’s race were seniors and graduated last season.
After the race, LSU coach Khadevis Robinson emphasized the role of Primeaux and Aguilar and their ability to lead their teams to success. 
“I think they are both really focused on leading by example, so they are focusing on running the best that they can run,” Robinson said. “I think from that, they will start to gain confidence in themselves and start to push other people to do the same.”
Junior Alex Kiptoo from McNeese State took first place in the men’s race, while Tessni Carruthers of Nicholls State took first in the women’s race.
Eight Tigers and Lady Tigers improved their times from last season’s Stampede, including Primeaux, Aguilar and Wieslar. The men’s team also displayed improvement as a whole, lowering their average time by more than a minute from last year.
“I think they’re at a stage in which they’re learning what they can do, get confidence in themselves, and that’s the main thing,” Robinson said. 
Next Saturday both teams travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to participate in the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival. The Tigers begin their race at 9:45 a.m., while the Lady Tigers begin at 10:30 a.m.