NEW ORLEANS — LSU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams were top finishers at Friday’s Tulane Invitational in Lake Oak Park, despite competing without their most experienced runners.
The Tigers finished second in the men’s three-mile race, scoring 57 points. Tulane won the meet with 26 points and La. Tech was third with 74 points. The women were third behind Tulane, which scored an almost perfect 19 points, and Southern Miss. with 38 points. The Lady Tigers scored 100 points.
Earlier in the week LSU head coach Mark Elliott said he would hold some of his top returning runners out of this first meet to scout the younger members of his squad.
In the first race of their college careers, freshmen Ryan Lenaghan, Jace Gohres and James Presley were the first LSU runners to cross the finish line. The trio finished within two seconds of each other. Lenaghan was 14th with a 16:14.76. Gohres and Presley took the two spots behind him. LSU’s Matthew Bilich and Drew Haro were also in the top 20.
Jennifer Radecker finished 16th overall and first for the Lady Tigers with a 12:46.89 on the two mile course. Veteran Katrina Flanders was 17th with a 12:57.73. Megan Kliebert was just six seconds behind her, capturing 21st place.
The cross country teams head west next weekend for the Lobo Invitational at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Tulane Invitational
MEN
Team Results
1. Tulane 26
2. LSU 57
3. Louisiana Tech 74
4. Southeastern Louisiana 105
5. UL-Lafayette 123
6. Xavier 136
Individual Results (Champion plus all LSU finishers)
1, Solomon Kandie, Unatt., 15:03.03. 14, Ryan Lenaghan, 16:14.76. 15, Jace Gohres, 16:15.30. 16, James Presley, 16:16.29. 19, Matthew Bilich, 16:22.58. 20, Drew Haro, LSU, 16:24.23. 22, Douglas Fields, 16:31.70. 24, Matthew Guy, 16:36.32. 26, Jake Dewey, 16:38.43. 36, Serge Villonova, 16:55.14. 41, Sean Owens, 17:10.32. 46, Andrew Baier, 17:43.17.
WOMEN
Team Results
1. Tulane 19
2. Southern Miss 38
3. LSU 100
4. UL-Lafayette 115
5. Southeastern Louisiana 116
6. Nicholls State 190
7. Xavier 199
8. Loyola (N.O.) 200
Individual Results (Champion plus all LSU finishers)
1, Eva Lustigova, Tulane, 11:38.31. 17, Jennifer Radacker, 12:46.89. 18, Katrina Flanders, 12:57.73. 21, Megan Kliebert, 13:03.77. 25, Katherine Accardo, 13:10.35. 26, Sarah Bailey, 13:10.70. 35, Sara Colosimo, 13:23.00. 36, Lynley Roche, 13:24.22. 38, Whitney Mitchell, 13;34.01. 48, Anne Simpson, 14:06.89. 56, Monica Kenney, 14:35.95.