USAO’s cross country teams took the road for the final time this season as they competed at the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Championship Saturday, Nov. 4. The Drovers competed in Bethany, Okla. for this event and took four women and six men.
For this competition, the women ran a 6K race while the men ran an 8K race. The women’s team did not have a team score, and the men placed 9th out of nine eligible teams.
The women began their race first and saw Trinity Albao-Cozad take first out of the Drovers. Overall, Albao-Cozad placed 41st and finished with a time of 31:01 minutes. This beat her previous best time in the 6K run by one minute and 37 seconds. Second for the Drovers was Savannah Creech, who ran a time of 31:43 minutes and placed 44th overall. Creech was also able to beat her personal best time by a minute and a half.
Laura Barrios-Bardi came back from injury for the last competition and placed 53rd at the meet. She was able to run the race in 34:06 minutes. Chelsea Fuston finished her run at a time of 39:02 minutes and was the 64th runner to cross the finish line.
Although this is the last time the Drovers will lace up their cleats for the cross-country season, Albao-Cozad said she believes it was a great way to close out this year.
“Everyone pushed really hard and finished their race, which in itself is something to be proud of,” she said. Albao-Cozad also added she felt she performed better than she thought she would, as the championship aspect was nerve-wracking.
The men’s team saw Aarin Simon finish first out of the Drovers. Simon placed 48th overall and recorded a time of 32:39 minutes. Tyrike Cunningham was the second man to finish for USAO, placing 55th overall and he ran a time of 34:51 minutes. Ryan Joseph was shortly behind Cunningham, as he completed the race in 35:18 minutes and placed 58th.
Just two spots behind Joseph was Quintin Pennells, as he finished the competition in 36:05 minutes. Hunter Dewall was the 63rd runner to finish the race, as his time was 37:27 minutes. The last finisher for the Drovers was Brayden Keller, who ran a time of 38:14 minutes and placed 64th overall.
The SAC Championship was the last cross-country meet of the season for USAO, and they will begin to gear up for the winter track and field season in early December.
Gary Jackson is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
