OXFORD – Youth shined for the Jacksonville State men's and women's cross country team in their season debuts on Friday afternoon at the Gamecocks' own Foothills Invitational at Choccolocco Park.
The traditional JSU season-opener runs a 4K distance for the women and a 5K run for the men as teams get a first taste of action before moving on to standard 5K women/8K men competitions.
With more than 24 teams and 400 competitors, Jax State scored strong opening finishes with a fifth-place finish for the women, and a fourth-place spot by the Gamecock men. Auburn tool the team title on the women's side and runner-up in the men's race behind Emory.
"I'm so excited for our team after their performance today," head coach
Matthew Boone said afterwards. "They have all risen to the challenges of the year with conviction. This group will be the core of the program for years to come and the showed a lot of maturity for being so young. Jack (Lowe) and Elsa (Chan) are an example of what we ask the freshmen to do when they arrive on campus. Consistent, intentional effort with a common goal in mind."
In the men's first race of the evening, Pell City, Ala., native,
Jack Lowe scored seventh of more than 175 runners to lead JSU in his first collegiate meet. He ran a 15:45.16 5K time, trailing a trio of Auburn Tigers. For JSU's top five scorers, sophomore
Rodrigo Fraga placed third (16:27.03), but Lowe and three of his fellow freshman gave a glimpse into JSU's future with
Caden Meyer,
Kaden Harris and
Tanner Rice.
Sam Green's 17:18 time did not score for JSU, which wasn't a bad sign considering he crossed the line as the 51st runner.
In the women's race, youth once again took center stage with Australia's Chan earning a top 10 with a time of 14:51.80. Sophomore
Bethelhem Manzano Jimeno was just four spots back in 14th, followed by freshmen
Lindsay Fletcher and
Anna Strickland, along with
Elizabeth Wetmore for the Red and White scorers.
With a positive opener under their belt, JSU will look ahead to its next meet in two meets at the North Alabama Showcase in Huntsville on Sept. 16.
