Troy University Athletics
Friday, September 11
Mobile, Ala.
Troy University
at
Azalea City Classic
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Photo by: Joshua Thurston
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Both Take Second at Azalea City Classic
9/12/2015 10:12:00 AM | Cross Country
MOBILE, Alabama – Troy's men's and women's cross country teams both took second place this weekend at the Azalea City Classic, where they competed in the 6K and 8K, respectively, for the first time this season. The women topped conference foe and meet host South Alabama, while the men finished behind the Jaguars.
"We're starting to move in the right direction," head cross country coach Elliott Blount said. "We didn't travel our full squad on either side, so it was good to see we were able to still be competitive despite being a little shorthanded."
The women placed three runners in the top ten in a field of 31 runners, with senior Julia Ostendorf crossing the line first for the Trojans in sixth place and junior Mikayla Hodges, who led Troy through most of the course, in seventh. Junior Samantha Smith, who finished third for the Trojans and tenth overall, ran a new personal-best time over the 6K distance by eclipsing the 23-minute mark. In her first 6K, sophomore Sarah Zylstra closed the gap quickly to finish behind Smith. Keaton Wallace, who also ran a career-best time, finished right behind her.
The Trojan women were runner-up to Alabama State in team totals, but neither team claimed the top spot as South Alabama's Joanna McCoy dominated the field in 21:02.
Carried again by underclassmen, the Trojan men were led by freshman Ryan DeGale, who took ninth overall in his collegiate debut and first 8K race. A pack of four Troy runners finished next in spots 12 through 15: freshman Zachary Bias, junior Tim Bulger, sophomore Eric Schueller and freshman Austin Gray, in that order.
"On the men's side, we still need more out of our upperclassmen to become a well-rounded team with consistent depth by the time we get to the conference meet," Blount said.
South Alabama dominated the men's race with seven Jaguars finishing in the top ten, including Christoph Graf, who blew away the competition for the second year in a row by setting a blistering pace early and finishing nearly a full minute ahead of the next-closest runner.
Troy cross country will return to action next week Saturday, September 19, at the Mountain Dew Invitational hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Fans can keep up with the teams by following Troy track and field and cross country on Twitter @TroyTrojanXC_TF and Instagram @troytrojanstfxc.
For more information on Troy Athletics, fans can find the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram @TroyAthletics and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.
"We're starting to move in the right direction," head cross country coach Elliott Blount said. "We didn't travel our full squad on either side, so it was good to see we were able to still be competitive despite being a little shorthanded."
The women placed three runners in the top ten in a field of 31 runners, with senior Julia Ostendorf crossing the line first for the Trojans in sixth place and junior Mikayla Hodges, who led Troy through most of the course, in seventh. Junior Samantha Smith, who finished third for the Trojans and tenth overall, ran a new personal-best time over the 6K distance by eclipsing the 23-minute mark. In her first 6K, sophomore Sarah Zylstra closed the gap quickly to finish behind Smith. Keaton Wallace, who also ran a career-best time, finished right behind her.
The Trojan women were runner-up to Alabama State in team totals, but neither team claimed the top spot as South Alabama's Joanna McCoy dominated the field in 21:02.
Carried again by underclassmen, the Trojan men were led by freshman Ryan DeGale, who took ninth overall in his collegiate debut and first 8K race. A pack of four Troy runners finished next in spots 12 through 15: freshman Zachary Bias, junior Tim Bulger, sophomore Eric Schueller and freshman Austin Gray, in that order.
"On the men's side, we still need more out of our upperclassmen to become a well-rounded team with consistent depth by the time we get to the conference meet," Blount said.
South Alabama dominated the men's race with seven Jaguars finishing in the top ten, including Christoph Graf, who blew away the competition for the second year in a row by setting a blistering pace early and finishing nearly a full minute ahead of the next-closest runner.
Troy cross country will return to action next week Saturday, September 19, at the Mountain Dew Invitational hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Fans can keep up with the teams by following Troy track and field and cross country on Twitter @TroyTrojanXC_TF and Instagram @troytrojanstfxc.
For more information on Troy Athletics, fans can find the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram @TroyAthletics and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.
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