By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Tennessee Tech cross country teams got their last taste of action on the road for the regular season Saturday morning, competing at the Live in Lou Classic at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
The Golden Eagle women's team posted a strong showing in the 5K Gold race, backed by a handful of impressive performances. Senior Helen Pacurariu-Nagy paced the team with a time of 18:16.2, placing 82nd among the more than 260 competitors.
Sophomore Makaleigh Jessee was second among the Golden Eagle runners, crossing the finish line in the top 100 with a time of 18:26.5. Not far behind with a mark of 18:31.4, rookie Rylee Wells was third among the Tech crew to finish.
Next to end their race for the purple and gold was freshman Savanna Amos, clocking in with a time of 19:07.8. Rounding out the scoring efforts for the Cookeville crew, freshman Megan Forstner tallied a time of 19:10.2. Less than full second behind her teammate, fellow rookie Hannah Faudi concluded the day with a time of 19:10.9.
"Our ladies continue to run well and in a strong pack," Tech head coach Peter Dalton said. "We're making good progress and are excited to return to Cookeville for our home meet."
A number of the Golden Eagle men's squad produced solid performances in the 8K on Saturday as well, led by junior Carter Bradford. The veteran earned a time of 25:29.2 to finish 111th out of more than 270 runners.
Junior Robert Dawson was the next Golden Eagle to cross the finish line, posting a time of 26:15.5. Rookie Dante Torres captured a performance of 26:33.3 while junior Isaac Legault closed out the day with a time of 26:52.8.
Tech returns to Cookeville to wrap up the regular season by hosting the Golden Eagle Invitational on Friday, Oct. 18. The team's event will be held at Putnam County Sports Complex, with the women's 6K scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the men's 8K slated for a 4:15 p.m. start.
Photos by Roscelle Griffin
