– The Lee University cross country teams opened their 2020 seasons at the UAH Chargers XC Open Saturday morning at John Hunt Park. Lee won the women’s and the men finished second.
The Lady Flames placed three runners in the top five and five in the top 10 on their way to accumulating 23 points. Mississippi College placed six runners in the top 12 to finish second in the team competition with 41 points. The 5K race included 101 runners with 11 teams represented.
Celine Ritter picked up where she left off in 2019 with another individual championship.
The senior crossed the finish line at 17:06.32 to win by over 13 seconds and set a Lee record. Chloe Flora held the previous top mark of 17.14.2 that was set at the Greater Louisville Classic in 2018.
Toni Moore finished fourth with a time of 17:59.25 with Hannah Spooneybarger right behind in fifth (18:04.10). Danielle Horter (18:18.91) and Olivia McLain (18:20.55) completed the race in ninth and 10th, respectively.
Grace Adams’ time of 18:53.41 put her in 16th place. Elizabeth Heckman finished at 19:04.58 (19th) and Lily Hare was 20th (19:11.74). Audrey Royer (19:33.51) claimed 27th, while Elizabeth Beckham crossed the line at 19:54.04 (32nd).
The Flames placed three runners in the top nine and eight in the top 20 on their way to accumulating 37 points. Host Alabama Huntsville made up half of the top 10 to record 28 points and claim the team win. The 8K race included 120 runners and 11 teams.
Christian Noble was the individual champion. His time of 23:51.07 was almost four seconds better than his closest competitor. Unattached runner Ryan Ford was second at 23:54.70 with UAH’s Jay Day third with a time of 24:32.76.
Caleb Eagleson crossed the finish line at 24:57.46 for eighth place with Adan Rodriguez right behind in ninth (25:00.33). Will Stone finished 12th (25:07.78) and Ezekiel Harless was Lee’s fifth scorer at 15th (25:20.16).
Silas Eckenroad placed 16th (25:22.09), while Dawson Reed (25:25.62) and Casey Guthery (25:26.34) were 19th and 20th, respectively. Titus Lagat, a sophomore transfer from Middle Tennessee State University, posted a time of 25:44.48 for 25th.
Andrew Hendry, Thomas Kelton and Caleb Guthery were the final Lee runners to cross the finish line. Hendry (25:59.06) placed 31st, Kelton (26:18.86) was 39th and Guthery (27:10.94) was 56th overall.
The Lady Flames and Flames are scheduled to return to action on October 3 at the 2020 Live in Lou Cross Country Classic. The 5K women’s and 8K men’s races will be held at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.