The Lee University cross country teams concluded their seasons Saturday morning at the NCAA Division II National Championships at The Abbey Course on the campus of Saint Leo University.The Flames finished 18th and the Lady Flames were 28th out of 32 teams in each race.
This was the second appearance for the Lee men and first for the women in the DII Championships. The Flames placed 26th in 2015.
The Flames accumulated 525 points to be the top finisher out the South Region in the men’s 10K race. Florida Southern (656) was 26th and Saint Leo (669) was 27th. Adams State was the team champion with Grand Valley State in second.
“We didn’t run awful, but we didn’t execute quite the way we wanted,” said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. “We were a little more aggressive than we needed to be the first two miles and we paid for it late.”
Harold Smith was Lee’s top runner. The junior crossed the finish line at 32:04.2 to finish 81st overall and 68th among scorers. Seth Eagleson was close behind at 88th (75th) with a time of 32:09.4.
Christian Noble gave the Flames three runners in the top 100 of the 242 runner field. Noble stopped the clock at 32:14.0 for 96th (83rd).
Brandon Raleigh and Tucker Hindle were the final scorers for the Flames. Raleigh finished 157th (135th) with a mark of 33:08.9, while Hindle’s time of 33:47.9 put him in 186th (164th).
Moises Ponce (34:02.7) served as Lee’s first spacer at 201st (178th). Jared Herzog was the final Flame runner across the finish line. Herzog placed 217th (194th) with a time of 34:29.2.
“I am proud of this group of men. We gained a lot of experience from the season. We return six of the seven men that ran today. Senior Brandon Raleigh had a great career with us. I am thankful for his leadership contributions the last two seasons,” added Morgan.
In the women’s 6K, the Lady Flames’ 751 points were third among the South Region participants. Saint Leo (632) placed 25th and Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (655) was 26th.
“We knew coming in we were going to be toward the back,” admitted Morgan. “Our women were patient early in the race and gradually worked their way up. I am very pleased with where we finished.”
Audrey Smith led the Lee women with a time of 21:57.0. The junior placed 65th overall and 51st among team-scorers in the field of 240.
Amy Carpenter was the next Lady Flame across the finish line. Carpenter finished 159th (137th) with a time of 22:59.4. Blakely Moore posted a time of 23:32.4 to finish 188th (166th).
Charlee Boxall and Savannah Ratcliff rounded out the Lee scorers. Boxall (24:27.2) was 222nd (198th) and Ratcliff (24:32.2) was 223rd (199th).
Becca Umbarger recorded a time of 25:12.4 to finish 232nd (208th), while Madison Hodges was 234th (210th) with a mark of 25:22.1.
“I am proud of what our women accomplished this year. We return everyone next year. This experience is very important for the future and overall development of our program,” finalized Morgan.