RICHMOND, Ky. ? The Kentucky men?s and women?s cross country squads posted impressive finishes in their season openers at the Eastern Kentucky Invitational Friday at the EKU Woodchip Trail in Richmond, Ky.
?This was a good simulation for us in preparing for the rest of the season,? said Pat Tyson, assistant coach for distance/cross country. ?It?s still very early in the year, but it was good to see the excitement and enthusiasm out of our runners that we saw today. We did well today, but we also have a ways to go to get on target with where we want to be.?
Four Kentucky runners finished in the top five of the women?s 2-mile race with senior Georganne Way leading all Wildcats with a time of 11:15. Sophomore Taylor Miller finished right behind Way with a time of 11:18, while junior Andrea Halasek (11:31) and classmate Liliane Sparkes (11:42) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Other women finishers included freshmen Claire Laverty (11:43 ? 7th) and Lindsay Petri (11:53 ? 10th) and senior Emily King (11:54 ? 11th). The women defeated Eastern Kentucky 19-38 and Marshall 16-47
?Our women?s squad looked very promising today,? Tyson said. ?We were picked to finish fifth in the SEC and I think it?s realistic that we can do better than that, but we are going to have to close the gap between Georganne Way and Taylor Miller. I also thought it was good to see our freshmen Claire and Lindsay debut with some fire in their eyes.?
The men, who ran two separate 2-mile races, were led by transfer John Thompson, who finished in fourth place with a combined 4-mile time of 19:18, followed by junior Andre Silva (19:32 ? 5th). The rest of UK?s men?s squad finished successively with sophomore Chris Long finishing in eighth place with a 19:42. Other UK finishers included sophomore Bruce Hordusky (19:43 ? 9th), senior John Richardson (19:48 ? 10th), Stephan Smith (19:59 ? 11th) and sophomore Ryan Finn (20:02 ? 12th). The men defeated Marshall 15-50, while Eastern Kentucky topped the Wildcats 19-36.
?John Thompson had two really nice 2-mile legs which was exciting,? Tyson said. ?The rest of our guys are progressing well. John Richardson is recovering from some sinus problems and it will be important for him to get healthy, because he is a huge piece of the puzzle for us this season.?
Kentucky returns to action Saturday, Sept. 16, when it travels to Bowling Green, Ky., to participate in the Old Timer?s Classic hosted by Western Kentucky University.
