CLINTON, Miss. – Ruston’s cross country team won all three divisions in which it competed on Saturday at the Mississippi College Opener.
“The team ran great today,” Ruston head coach Dustin Cochran said. “It was very hot. By the time the boys ran the heat index was 91 degrees, and it was really humid. So, we wanted to start conservatively and move up as we got further along in the race. A lot of the kids were able to stay calm and really race well in the latter stages of the race. Someone who did that really well was freshman Hallie Hebert. She passed probably 15 girls in the last mile and sealed the team win for us.”
Ruston senior Lily Garrett set a course record for the varsity girls at 18 minutes, 50 seconds, to win first place overall in her race. The Lady Bearcats scored 36 points with Garrett first, Parker Nations finishing third, Sara Naff fifth, Sydney Owens eighth, and Hallie Hebert 21st overall.
The boys varsity squad scored 28 points. Thomas Rogers finished second, with Bryar Madden sixth, Taylor Roller seventh, Andrew McKaskle eighth, Landon Byrd ninth, Liam Lowe 11th, and Cole Maestrini 17th.
The boys junior varsity team finished with 29 points to finish first. Josh Daulton set a course record at 14 minutes, 16 seconds to win first. Finishing out for Ruston were Cole Magee third, Trenton Hill sixth, John Madix eighth, Josiah Finley 11th, Ben Boudreaux 14th, and Al-Amin Wilson 17th.
“Goal one when we step out of the car is to win and we were able to do that today,” Cochran said. “I’m really thankful for the kids and the way they competed today. It was a great start to the season, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build towards November.”
Ruston returns to action Saturday, Sept. 17, at the ULM Warhawk Invitational in Monroe, La.
