CLINTON, Miss. – The Loyola University New Orleans cross country team did not shy away from the competition Saturday morning. In their Choctaw Open debut, both the women and men claimed fourth place.
The women’s team raced against 14 other schools this morning, scoring 144 points with an average time of 20:59. Vanessa Righeimer led the ‘Pack with a 14th place finish and a time of 20:07. This marks the third consecutive race she has paved the way and earned the top spot for the Wolfpack. Also notching top times were Jenna Knoblach (20:40) in 22nd and Denise Powell (20:58) in 29th.
The men’s team raced against 13 other schools, scoring 163 points with an average time of 29:13. Today marked their second 8K event of the season. Freshman Paul Freese achieved his second consecutive top finish amongst his teammates, coming in 23rd with a time of 27:54. Rounding out the top 3 were fellow freshmen Henry Gerbracht (28:33) in 29th and Dylan DiMartino (29:43) in 42nd.
“The men and women are not quite there yet. They ran a tough race today. They struggled a little bit but toughed it out,” said head coach Andy Canegitta. “Choctaw Trails is a very difficult course. We’re going to back off on the workouts so the kids can get fresh legs for Georgia.”
Earning the top prize today was South Alabama for the women and Mississippi State on the men’s side. South Alabama scored a total of 23 points with an average time of 18:52, while Mississippi State scored 33 points, running a 26:40 average time. The top finishers today were South Alabama runners Tori Lawson (18:19) and Justin Houley (25:29).
The ‘Pack will return to action on October 22 in Rome, Georgia, when they race in the Southeast Classic. This will be the team’s last tune-up before the SSAC Conference Championship meet on November 5.