The Lamar University men and women’s cross-country team competed at the Southland Conference championship in Natchitoches, La., Oct. 31. The men finished fourth and the women finished eighth.
Ashton Rainey led the women with a seventh-place finish at 20:57.63 at 6k. The finish was good for first team all-conference honors.
“It was really special because I’d been training alone pretty much all season, and to have all that work finally pay off meant a lot,” Rainey said. “Last year I got 38th, so seeing that improvement and making our new coach proud felt amazing.”
Rainey said she was happy she could lead the team.
“I’ve been trying to be a good leader this year because I really love the girls on the team,” Rainey said. “Training on my own gave me the confidence to push myself and be the best leader I can be for them.”
Andres Padron was the men’s top finisher at 23:42.90 at 8k, good for 14th place. This earned Padron second team all-conference honors.
Padron said the race was tough toward the end after being pushed by the flow of the race, but hearing his coaches and teammates cheer for him gave him the strength to push through.
“The last 2-3k was tough, especially after I made a hasty move — but I pushed through,” Padron said. “The support from my coaches and teammates made a huge difference, and I’m proud I could represent the school the way I wanted. The best is yet to come for this team.”
The Cards next race is Nov. 14 at the NCAA Regional Championship in Fayetteville, Ark.
