ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Mulerider Men's and Women's Cross Country started the weekend by traveling to Arkadelphia to compete in the Tiger Invite hosted by Ouachita Baptist. The women finished their 5k with a total time of 1:41:39 giving them the third place and the men finished their 8k with a total time of 2:12:31, finishing as runner-ups behind Ouachita Baptist.
The Mulerider Women produced an average time of 20:19, finishing third behind Great American Conference opponents Southeastern Oklahoma and Ouachita Baptist. Other teams participating this weekend were TAMU-Texarkana, Henderson State, Arkansas-Monticello, and LeMoyne-Owen.
Junior Ava Zindler ran the fastest of the Mulerider Women as she crossed the finish line with a time of 19:45.8, keeping an average mile time of 06:21.6. Zindler's time put her in fifteenth place out of the 79 runners that were competing. Senior Logan Warren finished the race only a few seconds behind Zindler and got placed in eighteenth, with a time of 20:08.8 while keeping an average mile time of 06:29.0. Only two spots behind Warren in 20th place was Rylee Robinson who crossed the finish line with a time of 20:17.2 and was the last Mulerider to place within the runner field's Top 20.
Savanah Esterline placed 23rd with a time of 20:42.2, Cantley Gosdin finished 39th with a time of 21:07.1 and Alyzah McGlasson finished 48th crossing the finish line with a time of 22:36.4. Emma Dudley (23:49.6) and Marlene Soto (24:50.0) finished 56th and 59th respectively.
The Mulerider Men finished as runner-ups in their 8k with a total time of 2:12:31 behind the host Ouachita Baptist. Other teams competing in the 8k were TAMU-Texarkana, Wiley, LeMoyne-Owen, and Arkansas-Monticello.
The Mulerider trio of freshman Lyndon Orr, sophomore Wesley Maxwell, and freshman Enrico Tapia crossed the finish line finishing sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively in the 65 runner-field. Orr ran the fastest time of the Mulerider Men as he recorded a time of 26:03.6 holding an average mile time of 05:14.5, Maxwell followed only two seconds after (26:05.6) keeping up with an average mile time of 05:14.9, and Tapia finished with a time of 26:25.9 averaging 05:19.0 minutes per mile.
Freshmen Gary Smith and Fintan Lehman finished twelfth and thirteenth crossing the finish line with the times 26:49.1 and 27:08.1. Junior Isaac Gass placed 24th by completing the race at an average mile time of 05:36.9 and totaling a time of 27:54.6, rounding out the Mulerider Men's Top 25-finishers.
Johnny Hart placed 28th with a time of 28:40.6, Charles Patton placed 32nd with a time of 28:57.0, Hunter Pye placed 35th with a time of 29:32.8, and Brandon Escobar placed 39th with a time of 30:09.5. The freshman duo of Hez Morris and Owen Shafer placed in 45th and 46th respectively with times of 31:05.6 and 31:28.7.
Next up for the Mulerider Men's and Women's Cross Country teams is the Great American Conference Championships on Oct. 26 in Ada, Oklahoma.
