University of Houston
LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival
Cross Country Takes First and Second at LSU
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 25, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston cross country men's and women's teams combined for six top-10 finishes, propelling the Cougar men to first place and the women to second at the LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival on Saturday.
It was the Cougar men that claimed the first title in 2010 for either team, beating out the LSU Tigers by six points. Junior Nate Pineda continued his consistency of team-leading finishes, claiming fifth place with a time of 26:38.35. Sophomore David Smith challenged his teammate in the 8K, finishing in seventh place.
Junior Anthony Jordan was the third Cougar in the top 10, as his 28:02.20 put him in 10th place. Fellow juniors Andres Santaolalla and Stephan Keller came in at 13th and 14th, respectively, for Keller's best finish of the season. With five of six guys in the top-15, the Cougars busted out the thrilling win over the second-place Tigers.
"The men ran pretty smart today," head coach Ryan Turner said. "We went out under control and worked our way up as the race unfolded. LSU competed well. They had the race in hand for almost the entire time. With a half mile remaining, I could see that it was going to be close. Fortunately, our guys were able to pull it out in the end."
Freshman Drevan Anderson-Kaapa ran the second race of his career in 29:19.72, good for 35th.
The Cougar women took the first shift in the team's first Saturday morning race of the season, and the team acted anything but tired. Junior Brandi Witte notched her highest finish of the year when she came in fifth with a time of 21:20.27 to lead the team. Fellow junior Starla Garcia stayed just five seconds behind her, finishing seventh.
After leading the Cougars in their first two races, sophomore Kathryn Ducommun gave her teammates a turn while still clocking in with a top-10 finish of her own. Her time of 21:40.44 in the 6K landed her in 10th place.
"When you win a meet two years in a row people tend to remember," Turner said. "Our girls had a target on their back and unfortunately we weren't able to make it three in a row. On the bright side I know I'm coaching a special group when they're disappointed each week when we don't win. We came here to try to win, but second place out of 12 teams isn't always a bad thing."
Junior Megan Munoz took 12th, putting four of the 11 Cougars in the top 12. Senior co-captain Erica Hannemann ran the 6K course in 22:49 while freshman Eryn Barroso and senior co-captain Jasmine Trier crossed the finish line back-to-back at 33rd and 34th, respectively.
In her first race since the Cougars' home meet, freshman Elizabeth Gilbert posted a 40th-place finish with her time of 23:19.40. Freshmen Julie Reinwald, Yasiris Gonzalez and junior Ciera Johnson rounded out the lineup with 50th, 52nd and 65th places, respectively.
The Cougars are back in action on Sat., Oct. 9 at the Disney Cross Country Classic in Orlando, Fla.
Houston women - 2nd
5. Brandi Witte - 21:20.27
7. Starla Garcia - 21:26.05
10. Kathryn Ducommun - 21:40.44
12. Megan Munoz - 21:46.07
29. Erica Hannemann - 22:49.00
33. Eryn Barroso - 22:58.83
34. Jasmine Trier - 23:00.41
40. Elizabeth Gilbert - 23:19.40
50. Julie Reinwald - 23:52.39
52. Yasiris Gonzalez - 23:57.24
65. Ciera Johnson - 24:49.29
Houston men - 1st
5. Nate Pineda - 26:38.35
7. David Smith - 26:52.87
10. Anthony Jordan - 27:31.13
13. Andres Santaolalla - 28:02.20
14. Stephan Keller - 28:03.38
35. Drevan Anderson-Kaapa - 29:19.72
Players Mentioned
