Trojans Compete at SBC Championships

Saturday, November 2

Troy, Ala.

10 a.m.

Troy University

Sun Belt Cross Country Championship

11/2/2013 1:58:00 PM | Cross Country, Cross Country (M), Cross Country (W)

By: Joe St. Pierre

Men's Results | Women's Results

TROY, Ala. – Troy University hosted the 2013 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning at Trojan Oaks, behind Trojan Arena. The women placed eighth overall, while the men took ninth.

"Athletically, our women have really moved up and gotten better," said director of track and field Jill Lancaster. "We had some great compliments from some of the top teams that our women's team is getting better. We're really proud of their effort. They improved since the last time they ran this course, a very tough course."

Nearly every runner for Troy posted a faster time than at the Coach "O" Invitational three weeks ago, a race that took place on the same course.

The women were led by Julia Ostendorf at 19:07.3, finishing in 22nd. Mikayla Hodges took second on the team and 33rd overall at 19:47.7. Haley Davies beat her Coach "O" time by 43 seconds, taking 42nd at 20:12.7.

Marsel Mosley was Troy's next finisher at 20:29.3, followed by Samantha Smith at 20:57.4. Sara Lane posted a time of 21:18.6, followed closely by Rae Leach at 21:21.2. Keaton Wallace rounded out Troy's competitors with a time of 21:35.9.

"Just like the women, this conference is changing," said Lancaster. "We struggled a bit, but Enock finished his career as our number one runner. The most exciting thing was what we saw out of the people behind Enock. They made some big pushes and ran better than they've run and competed hard."

The men's side was a similar story, as Troy's top four finishers posted course-bests. Enock Kirui took 29th overall with a time of 27:10.2. Sean Kent cut off nearly two minutes from his Coach "O" time, finishing in 45th at 27:58.7. Tim Bulger took third on the team at 28:28.0, followed closely by Madison Estes, whose time of 28:28.5 was three minutes faster than his performance at the Coach "O" Invitational.

Travis Lucas rounded out the scorers for Troy with a time of 29:04.6, followed by Jake Bagwell at 29:37.4. Shakiel Parker completed the race in 29:58.8, while Sam Ammons finished in 31:11.8.

"Once again it was great," Lancaster said. "We had alumni back in town, we had the community that came out and we had a lot of the professors that have these students in class. We couldn't ask for a better environment. Everybody that worked, the athletic department, the physical plant, the ground crew and the Sun Belt Conference, we want to thank them for their efforts in helping us put on a top-notch meet."

Fans can keep up with all the action by following Troy track and field/cross country on Twitter at @TroyTrojanXC_TF .

For more information on all of Troy Athletics, fans can find the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyAthletics, or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.