DENTON, TEXAS – The LSU cross country team wrapped up its 1999 season Saturday morning, as the Lady Tigers finished sixth at the NCAA South Central Regional in Denton, Texas, while the Tigers finished seventh in the men’s competition.
The finishes for both squads are the highest in school history at NCAA Regional competition.
With only the top two teams receiving invitations to the NCAA Championships and only 12 at-large bids available across the nation, however, the sixth and seventh place finishes by the Lady Tigers and Tigers will not be enough to get them to the national meet.
As expected, Arkansas won easily in both the men’s and women’s team competitions, while Texas received the second automatic bid in the women’s competition and Texas A&M grabbed the second spot in the men’s race.
Despite not advancing, LSU head coach Pat Henry was extremely pleased with the season-long efforts of his squads, comprised almost entirely of walk-ons.
“They say that you get what you pay for,” said Henry. “Well, we got a lot out of something that we didn’t pay for. I am so proud of the way this team performed all season. We have only one or two scholarship athletes on each team and to even get to the point where we are competing with the top teams in the NCAA and SEC is a testimony to the work ethic of these young athletes.
“Both teams ran extremely well today, I couldn’t ask for more out of either group. We’re just one or two people short right now. We need to be able to stick somebody up there in the top four or five and that’s what’s missing.”
The Lady Tigers were paced by Bridget Cusack, who placed 20th, completing the five-kilometer course in 18 minutes 7 seconds. Martina Barkman and Amanda Occhi finished 26th (18:20) and 28th (18:23) respectively.
Susanne Strunz finished 33rd, followed by Lauren Byrd in 40th to round out the Lady Tigers’ five scorers.
Lilli Kleinman of Arkansas won the women’s individual title in a blazing time of 16:53, while Hanne Lyngstad of Tulane finished second in a time of 17:01.
Frank Ensley paced the Tigers and was their high finisher, placing 24th and running the men’s 10k course in a time of 32:39. Frans Schimper finished two spots back in a time of 32:46.
Brent Martin finished 43rd, followed by Brandon Guillory in 50th and Kenny Henry in 53rd to round out the Tigers’ five scorers.
Michael Power of Arkansas picked up the win as anticipated, besting the field by 19 seconds with his winning time of 30:07.