Cross Country Records Three Top-10 Finishes Friday

Friday, September 10

Florence, Ala.

University of Memphis

North Alabama

Payton Gleason, 2019 Men's Cross Country

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Sep 11, 2021 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Cross Country Records Three Top-10 Finishes Friday

FLORENCE, Ala. – University of Memphis cross country runners Payton Gleason and Lauren Metzger paced the men's and women's teams, respectively, to finish out races at the North Alabama Invitational Friday.

In his season debut, Gleason placed third overall, making this race his fastest opening 8k (24:48.28). He led the men to a second-place team finish (79 points), finishing only behind Mississippi College (31 points).

Also making headway for the Tigers was freshman Hudson Hurst, who placed 13^th (25:22.09).

"This is certainly a positive indicator of the role he [Hurst] can play on our team," cross country coach Ken Frenette said. "I was really impressed with how the freshmen and sophomores worked together packing in all within 34 seconds, from our second man to our seventh."

Five others raced personal records for the men: Max Rathburn (25:28.83), Anton Michna (25:35.82), Jason Doland (25:43.78), Liam Walsh (25:45.61) and Andrew Henton (25:56.18).

For the women's 5k, Metzger led the Tigers by finishing eighth (18:50.27), dropping her personal record from last weekend's Twilight Classic by over 60 seconds. Sonsoles Martin-Rodriguez followed closely behind, coming in ninth with a PR of 18:51.55.

Hannah Anderson and Erin Gilbert posted impressive PRs placing 12^th (19:02.38) and 31^st (19:42.89), respectively.

The women's team finished fourth in a field of 13, with a total of 81 points.

"Overall, both teams checked the boxes this weekend," said Frenette. "As we move forward, the conference championships are our destination and focus as we continue to get fitter, sharper and edgier."

After having the top three runners from the Twilight Classic for both the men's and women's teams out this race, next week's Rhodes Invitational will be the first time the Tigers will race this season at full strength.

This is the first time since the 2007 season the teams will compete for three straight weekends to start out the season. After the Rhodes Invitational next Saturday, the Tigers will have a weekend off before the Greater Louisville Classic Oct. 2.

Complete Results
Men 8k
Women's 5k

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Cross Country, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.