FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Firmly entrenched among the course leaders, LSU’s Likhaya Dayile fell with less than a mile remaining, and the Tigers fell from contention to 11th place Saturday morning at the Chilli Pepper Cross Country Invitational at Fayetteville, Ark. The Lady Tigers also finished 11th in the women’s competition.
Abilene Christian shocked No. 2 Arkansas to claim the men’s team title, while Arkansas took the women’s team title followed by TCU and UNO.
“I’m pleased with the way our women’s team performed today,” said LSU coach Mark Elliott. “I’m disappointed with the result on the men’s side, however, I know we are a much better team than we showed today. We didn’t run as well as I had hoped today, but I’d rather have these things happen here than at the SEC or NCAA meets in the next few weeks.”
Dayile was among the top 10 runners at the time of his fall. His fall, however, forced the Tigers to count a much higher score from its fifth place finisher, adding roughly 75 points to the Tigers’ score.
Jimmy Wiggins as a result was the Tigers’ top finisher, placing 47th, running the 10-kilometer course in a time of 32 minutes 7 seconds. Kenny Henry finished 61st, followed by Ryan Raiford in 62nd, Billy Bohlke in 74th and Brent Martin in 84th.
On the women’s side, LSU’s top runners Bridget Cusack and Susanne Strunz were particularly sharp. Cusack finished 19th, completing the 6k course in 22:32, while Strunz placed 27th in a time of 22:47.
Beth Woodward finished 90th, followed by Megan Szmajda in 94th and Jenni Johnson in 103rd to round out the Lady Tigers’ top five.
LSU will not return to action until Oct. 30 when both teams head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Southeastern Conference Championships. The Lady Tigers finished fourth a year ago, while the Tigers placed eighth.