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You are here: Home / Sports / Cross Country wraps up season

Cross Country wraps up season

November 5, 2013 by Special Contributor

ACU Cross Country finished a challenging six-meet fall season this past Friday with a strong performance at the Southland Conference Championships in Lake Charles, La.

The first Div. I conference meet in ACU history, the Southland Championships proved that the ‘Cats have tremendous potential. Senior Chloe Susset finished fifth out of 102 runners in the women’s 6K with a season-best time of 21:29.4, marking her fourth top-six appearance in a conference meet since 2009. She was followed by freshman standout Diana García Muñoz, who placed ninteenth overall with a time of 22:27.2. Freshmen Landa Dowdy, Michaela Hackett, and Kimberly Lamadrid also competed impressively, finishing in the Wildcats’ top five runners in their first college conference meet.

In the men’s 8K, junior Daniel Block, a transfer from the University of Saskatchewan, was the first ACU team member to cross the finish line, with a season-best of 27:06.9. Block was followed closely by senior Erik Forrister, a regular-season leader on the men’s team who came in at 27:19.5. Sophomore Chad Caton, senior Gary Duncan and freshman Reid Rivers also placed among ACU’s 8K runners.

ACU finished seventh in the women’s 6K and tenth in the men’s 8K in the 14-team meet, with Lamar University taking first place in both categories.

Led all season by Susset, the women’s cross country team has turned in some notable performances, including two second place finishes at the McMurry/Bill Libby Invitational on Sept. 7 and the Incarnate Word Cardinal Invitational in San Antonio on Oct. 12. The ‘Cats also took third place at the Texas Tech Red Raider Open in Lubbock on Sept. 13.

Susset ended her college cross country career with a fantastic fall season, earning two Southland Conference Runner of the Week honors. She took the women’s 5K title at the McMurry/Libby Invitational, then repeated her performance a week later at the Red Raider Open when she came within five seconds of earning her second title in as many weeks, finishing in a close second place. A month later, she came in first at the UIW Invitational.

The men’s team was more inconsistent than the women’s team, but was still able to prove it could hold its own in Div. I with fourth place finishes the McMurry/Libby Invitational and the UIW Invitational. The ‘Cats also had some great leadership in seniors Gary Duncan, a top performer throughout the season, and Erik Forrister, a former Lone Star Conference Men’s Academic Runner of the Year.

“This year, I looked forward to every meet and every practice because I couldn’t wait to get better and see the team get faster and improve together,” Forrister said. “We are competitive. We are striding towards becoming a dynasty in Div. I as we were in Div. II.”

It’s been a building year to be sure, with highs and lows as expected of such a young team. Despite the obstacle of developing a close-knit, competitive team with 15 freshmen and an entirely new coaching staff in the highest division of college athletics, the Wildcats have shown that the ACU cross country dynasty is not over.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Cross Country

Other Sports:

  • ACU to join Western Athletic Conference in July

  • ACU expected to join WAC in Southland Conference mass exodus

  • Adams sets third-straight double-double as Wildcats defeat Islanders

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About Special Contributor

You are here: Home / Sports / Cross Country wraps up season

Other Sports:

  • ACU to join Western Athletic Conference in July

  • ACU expected to join WAC in Southland Conference mass exodus

  • Adams sets third-straight double-double as Wildcats defeat Islanders

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acuoptimistThe Optimist@acuoptimist·
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Active COVID-19 cases dropped for the fifth-consecutive day at ACU Friday. There are currently 30 active cases and 86 quarantines.

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Yu Zhong, a psychology major from Lijiang, China, was arrested Friday at his University Park apartment on child porn charges, according to police. This is a developing story. Read more below:
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Active COVID-19 cases dropped for the fifth- consecutive day at ACU Friday. There are currently 30 active cases and 86 quarantines. Taylor County continues to see increased numbers with over 2500 active cases. ...

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15 hours ago

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Yu Zhong, a freshman psychology major from Lijiang, China, was arrested Friday at his University Park apartment on child porn charges, according to police. This is a developing story. Read more below: ...

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Yu Zhong, a freshman psychology major from Lijiang, China, was arrested Friday at his University Park apartment on child porn charges, according to police. Zhong, 23, was arrested after he was flagged by software that detects child porn. “While no corner of our society is immune from these challen...
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