HUNTSVILLE – Jacksonville State's 2022 cross country seasons came to a close on Saturday at the ASUN Championships at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala.
 
It was another learning curve for much of JSU's young lineup. Led mostly throughout the season by freshmen Elsa Chan and Jack Lowe, it was sophomores Bethelhem Manzano Jimeno and Rodrigo Fraga turning in the best Red and White times on Saturday in their second championship experiences.
 
JSU's men finished 12 th as a unit among the 14 teams, while the Gamecock ladies came home 13th. Both squads beat Austin Peay, a former OVC foe, as the adjustment to the ASUN and now Conference USA competition continues.
 
Jimeno's finishing time of 18:14.8 was the fastest 5K time by a Gamecock this season as the Barsareny, Spain, native, scored 50th overall. Chan, a freshman from Brisbane, Australia, stepped up as well with a career-best 18:20.2 mark that otherwise would have been the fastest 5K time of the year for JSU. Junior Sierra Wainer's crossed the line as the third Gamecock with a 19:31.5, besting her previous best time by 20 seconds. Freshmen Lindsay Fletcher (20:04), Siobhan Balle (20:07) and Anna Strickland (20:08) finished not far behind to round out the Gamecock scorers.
 
Although different courses, the improvement shows from year in and year out as JSU's average time of 19:15 was down from the 19:33 mark for the 2021 ASUN championship. The men also took a major step forward in narrowing the gap, shaving their 28:33 average time from 2021 down to 26:36 on Saturday.
 
Fraga led the way with a 25:53.9 time for the 8K course. The native of Cantabria, Spain, was just two seconds shy of matching JSU's best ASUN championship time set in 1997 during the program's first stint in the conference. Behind Fraga, a quarter of true freshman carried the banner for the Gamecocks setting the foundation for the future. Lowe followed with a consistent 25:57 time that fell right in line with his season averages. Caden Meyer turned in a 26:36 to once again complete the top trio with Lowe and Fraga. Moulton, Ala., product, Steele Joiner scored fourth for JSU with a career-best 27:15 mark. It was 15 seconds under his previous best and a minute and 27 seconds faster than he his time at the same course back in September. Tanner Rice rounded out the scorers with a 27:19, just four seconds off his personal best. Fellow freshman Kaden Harris and sophomore Sam Green finished just after Rice.
 
Head coach Matthew Boone saw positives to take away the second and final ASUN championship for his program noting the year-over-year average improvements. With plenty of room for improvement, he appreciated the direction his young runners are taking. He also commended many on the women's side for their efforts battling back from recent sicknesses.
 
No careers officially closed on Saturday. The men's cross country team does not have a senior, while several runners on the women's squad now turn their attenetion to the track and field season.