The Emory men's and women's cross country teams turned in first-place finishes at the JSU Foothills Invitational Saturday morning. The event was held at the Oxford Lake and Recreation Center in Oxford, Alabama.
Running in the White Division, the 29th-ranked women's side topped the six-team field with 24 points. Columbus State claimed runner-up honors with 41 points while Birmingham Southern was third with 95 points. Delta State (96 pts.), Spring Hill (117) and Miles College (170) rounded out the participating teams. Senior Tamara Surtees and junior Marissa Gogniat finished 1-2, respectively, in the 50-runner field with Surtees clocking a 5K time of 18:35 and Gogniat an 18:36. The Eagles had four more representatives rank among the top 10 as senior Elise Viox crossed the finish line in the No. 5 position (18:59) followed by classmate Stephanie Crane's performance of 19:06 that ranked seventh. Freshman Gabrielle Stravach closed out the team's scorers by registering a 19:22.05 that was ninth while classmate Gabrielle Rudolph (19:22) was 10th.
The men's side totaled 32 points, edging runner-up Columbus State's 34 points. Birmingham Southern stood third (80 pts.) while the UGA Running Club (104 pts.) and Spring Hill (123 pts.) were fourth and fifth, respectively. Junior Lukas Mees led a strong Eagle contingent that placed three in the top overall eight in the 58-runner field with a personal-best 8K time of 25:38 that was good for second. Senior Tyler Cooke came away with a fourth-place effort after recording a 25:52 while classmate Alex Fleischhacker turned in a 26:07 that ranked eighth. Closing out the Emory scorers were sophomores Austin Hunt (26:32, 12th) and Grant Murphy (26:38, 14th).
The Eagles return to action on Oct. 18 when they venture to Ohio to compete in the Inter-Regional Rumble hosted by Oberlin College.