The Cleveland State Community College Cross Country teams competed at the Freed Speed Open this past weekend in Henderson, TN. The weather was not kind, as major rain and thunder rolled in on Friday. "We were not sure if they would be able to have the race, but the rain and thunder subsided so we were able to continue with the race." said head coach David Kyle. The men's team started first at 8:30 AM with a light rain to greet them. Luis Perez ran another great race, beating his previous best 8K time by almost a minute. Perez finished 4th overall out of 62 runners. Alec Bloomer finished 17th, Alberto Dominguez finished 23rd, and David Tullock was 33rd. Derek Gallardo was out with an injury.
The women were led once again by sophomore Madison Guider, who ran excellent, and finished strong. Guider placed 2nd out of 67 runners. "Madison is an awesome young woman, and her future is bright. I am super proud of the strong runner she has become," said David Kyle. The women's team had a strong showing today, although they were not 100 percent. CSCC took third overall, out of nine teams. KiAna Queener finished in 15th place, Whitney McConnell in 29th, Sadie Lan at 33rd, while Alexis Kyle finished 40th. "These ladies have fought through sickness, and injury all year, but they will not quit. These girls are tough, and they will run through anything that stands in their way. I am very proud of the determination that they have. I hope they can all get well, and have a good finish to the season," said Kyle. Cleveland State will travel to Maryville, TN next week to compete in the Maryville Invitational.