BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Central Missouri cross country teams began the 2024 season at the SBU Bearcat Invitational on Friday, Sept. 6, from the Bolivar Golf Course in Bolivar, Mo.
The Mules finished in third place with all scoring runners placing in the top-30 including a pair of top-10 finishers in seniors
Luke Engel (finished fifth with a time of 20:12.44) and
Cooper Palmer (with a time of 20:32.10 finished eighth) in the four mile race.
Junior
Alejandro Malave placed 14
th with a time of 20:57.75 while sophomore
Clay Pilliard (time of 21:00.29) placed 16
th and junior
Evan Finger rounded out the scoring for UCM crossing the finish line in 21:20.70 in 25
th position out of 151 runners.
On the women's side, the Jennies placed eighth as a team in the 5k race highlighted by a pair of top-30 finishers in freshman
Clara Lackman (time of 19:48.76) in 22
nd place and junior
Chloee Belgum placed 30
th with a time of 20:14.96.
Sophomore
Callie Manning completed the race in 45
th place with a time of 21:14.38, while freshman
Kayli Cameron placed 56th (time of 22:24.74) and sophomore
Alana Osborn (time of 22:41.94) rounded out the scoring in 60
th out of 115 runners.
The Mules and Jennies continue the 2024 campaign on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers from Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn.