MEN'S 5K RESULTS | WOMEN'S TWO-MILE RESULTS
HOOVER, Ala. – Samford Cross Country opened its 2013 season Saturday morning at Veterans Park in Hoover taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Samford's men defeated Alabama in the 5k course but the Crimson Tide women earned the edge in the two-mile race over the Bulldogs.
"For the most part, I was happy with the men's team," said Head Coach
Lori Strand. "We were using the meet to see where we are fitness-wise, and it looks like if we get a couple of the injured guys healthy we should have a good year. There is a lot of motivation and leadership this year on the men's side and it is going to be exciting to see what they can accomplish."
Samford turned in the top three finishes in the men's race, with senior
Layton Dorsett leading the pack in 16:27.13. Sophomores
Adam Jones and
Luke Weishaar were both less than one second behind Dorsett, finishing second (16:27.29) and third (16:27.32), respectively. Also competing for Samford was
Brandon Hazouri (12th, 16:50.97),
James Graham (13th, 17:01.59) and
Lucas Sieb (15th, 17:13.70).
"Judging by today's performance, we have a lot of work to do on the women's side." said Strand. "The girls were supposed to be somewhat comfortable through the first mile of the race, but I realized early on that was not happening. We are going to keep our heads up and train to get where we need to be. The good thing is that we have a lot of talent on the team and time to improve."
On the women's side, sophomore
Rachel Roberts was the Bulldogs' highest finisher, placing ninth in 12:04.66.
Frances Bernard was close behind in 10th (12:04.86) while
Marie Demedicis (12th, 12:16.13) and
Rachel Wooten (13th, 12:18.82) finished in a pack just over ten seconds later.
Chelsea Treadway (15th, 12:33.70),
Anna Laura Irvine (16th, 12:36.41) and
Margaret Grogan (18th, 12:43.15) rounded out the rest of the Bulldogs' competitors.
Cross country continues its season in two weeks as they head to Nashville, Tenn., for the Commodore Classic on Saturday, Sept. 14.
