Courtesy: SUU Media Relations Sharla Manuele (pictured) and Cameron Levins both recorded 22nd-place finishes
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Nov. 14 - Southern Utah cross country turned in solid performances at the NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday afternoon as the men finished 11th and the women tenth, beating a combined 16 teams during the race.
Sharla Manuele powered the women, finishing in 22nd place after crossing the finish line at 21:36.2 to set a new school record on the course, besting the previous course record by almost an entire minute. Diana Medina was the next Thunderbird across the line as the junior finished in 31st-place with a time of 21:56.8.
Madalyn Olpin (58, 22:30), Sylvia Bedford (77, 22:55) and Whitney Curtis (78, 22:56) rounded out the team score for the Thunderbirds as SUU finished only five points away from an eighth-place team finish. The Southern Utah women posted victories over Weber State, Montana, Air Force, Utah State, Idaho State, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana State, Utah and Northern Colorado.
"I have mixed feelings about the race today," head coach Eric Houle said. "We have dramatically improved as a team and we have had a great team this year, but we run in the one of the toughest regions in the nation."
Manuele may be granted an at-large berth to the NCAA National Championships with her finish, but is more than likely going to be outside looking in as the selection committee would need to select a total of seven teams from the Mountain Region to advance to the National Championships to pave the way for an at-large individual selection for Manuele.
Cameron Levins, the top individual finisher on the men's side for the Thunderbirds may be in a similar position as the junior finished 22nd with a time of 31:06.4. However, six teams will need to be selected for the NCAA National Championships for Levins to receive the at-large berth.
Kevin Sandall was the second finisher for the Thunderbirds, placing 45th overall with a time of 31:56.2. Sandall's time was just off a top-five course record time, while Levins ranks No. 2 all-time for an SUU harrier on the Albuquerque course. Hayden Hawks (65, 32:25), Skylar Riggs (93, 33:19) and Dallas Eborn (95, 33:25) rounded out the team score for Southern Utah as the T-Birds posted victories over Montana, Colorado State, New Mexico State, Texas Tech, Idaho State and Wyoming.
"This season was a tough one for our men and sickness and injuries really hit the guys hard," Houle said. "We reacted well to the set backs, but we do run in the toughest region on the men's side, so an 11th-place finish marks an end to a very successful season."
Should Levins and Manuele garner individual at-large selections to the NCAA Championships, the pair will compete in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 24.
Courtesy: SUU Media Relations
