ALBANY, Ga. – Evelyn Hererra and Zachary Thomas led the Spring Hill College cross country team with an eighth and 16th place finish, respectively, at the Willie Laster Invitational.
 
Thomas clocked a personal record time of 29:11.2 in the men's 8K while Hererra finished the women's 5K with a time of 21:33.6.
 
Overall, the men's team placed seventh with 161 points. Erik Lindmark finished 33rd with a time of 31:52.8. Luke Mipro (33:14.3) and Luke Burlison (33:17.0) clocked nearly identical times placing 41st and 42nd, respectively. With a time of 36:02.3, Nolan Akers placed 54th.
 
The women's squad also placed seventh with 169 points. Cecilia Light recorded her second-straight top-20 finish of the season, placing 11th with a time of 22:15.5. Allison Mangan placed 37th, clocking a time of 25:40.8, while Kerrigan Klevanosky (28:46.1) and Ferrin Westry (37:38.0) placed 54th and 75th, respectively.
 
Meet Details
Date: September 19
Venue (Location): Radum Springs Park (Albany, Ga.)
 
They Said It – Head Coach Craig McVey
On the meet
"We had another hot day Friday. Temperatures were warmer than anticipated at 95 degrees. We competed well, but like everyone, we were affected by the heat. We did a nice job of maintaining contact with other runners and making good decisions during each race. Our women were seventh of 12 scoring teams, and our men were also seventh out of nine scoring teams."
 
On the women's race
"Evelyn Hererra was our number one runner Friday with an eighth place finish, and CeCe [Cecilia] Light finished 11th. They both ran well. The course the meet was held at was a first-time race course, and it was not fast since it hadn't been used previously. Evelyn and CeCe showed signs of being capable of racing together, which will help them both. Evelyn's time of 21:33.6 and CeCe's 22:15.5 time were solid considering the footing and terrain."
 
"Alli [Allison] and Kerrigan continued to make progress and raced hard. Ferrin posted her first race of the year."
 
On the men's race
"The guys raced hard and smart. We had our freshmen race their first 8,000 meter race of their college careers, but Friday was a tough day to do that. When you add up the new course,  footing, terrain, and temperature, you don't create a race, rather, it's a crazy-fast situation for anyone on any team."
 
"Zach [Zachary] Thomas finished as our number one runner again. His 16th place was solid in the field and for the day. Talan [Erik] Lindmark's 33rd was great for his first 8K race."
 
Up Next
The Badgers will compete in the 7th Annual Nicholls XC Invitational on Saturday in Thibodaux, La.
 
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