The No. 21-ranked Lee University men’s cross country team put five runners among the top 11 to win the 2016 Montevallo Falcon Classic, while the Lady Flames placed two in the top 10 to finish second in the women’s 5K race.
The Flames attained a team score of 35, while second-place Queens University of Charlotte had a team score of 77. Fellow Gulf South Conference member West Alabama placed fifth with 160 points.
“Our men ran at an unbelievable level today,” said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. “I couldn’t be prouder of their execution. We talked about having a faster four and five today and that’s exactly what we did.”
Seth Eagleson was the first Flame across the finish line. The junior placed third overall with a time of 24:48.12. Brandon Raleigh was right behind in fourth (24:53.58).
Harold Smith and Christian Noble placed eighth and ninth, respectively. Smith recorded a time of 25:07.93 and Noble stopped the clock at 25:17.44. Tucker Hindle (11th, 25:26.64) was the final scorer for the Flames.
“Eagleson and Smith both had sub-par performances last week,” added Morgan. “They came out this week very determined and ran where this team needs them. Hindle and Noble are running as two of the fastest freshmen in Division II this year. They do not use their lack of experience as an excuse. We wouldn’t be where we are as a team without their contributions.”
Moises Ponce was 28th (26:24.19) and Garrett Flores was 29th (26:25.03) to serve as spacers. Jared Herzog posted a time of 26:4.41 (38th) and Matt Jenkins was 48th (27:11.45). Alex Carter and Thomas Kelton rounded out the Lee finishers. Carter was 81st (28:07.76) and Kelton was 82nd (28:08.41).
“Our women got a big win today over No. 18 Montevallo,” said Morgan. “We were much faster than last week. Our freshmen once again stepped it up.”
Queens University of Charlotte picked up the team win with 58 points. The Lady Flames totaled 76 points, while Montevallo was third with 78 points. Emory was fourth (94) and fellow Gulf South Conference member West Alabama placed fifth (139).
Audrey Smith was fifth in the field of 117 with a time of 22:12.85. Becca Umbarger was 10th with a mark of 22:48.43.
“Becca ran a phenomenal race,” said Morgan. “Finishing with a 40-second personal record, she has proven herself as a vital part of the team and will be a huge contributor in upcoming races.”
Amy Carpenter stopped the clock at 23:04.07 to finish 16th. Blakely Moore was right behind in 19th (23:12.26). Lily Fell was the final scorer for the Lady Flames at 26th (23:31.66).
The spacers for Lee were Savannah Ratcliff and Charlee Boxall. Ratcliff was 29th (23:51.12) and Boxall was 38th (24:08.18).
Logan Hernandez recorded a time of 24:20.90 to finish at No. 47. Lacey Duvall was 71st (25:18.64), Cassidy Devenouges was 73rd (25:23.94), Elizabeth Sillcocks finished 95th (26:53.80) and Mackenzie Mayer was 106th (28:23.72).
Lee will take a week off from competition before heading to Louisville for the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 1.