LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- The Chattanooga men's and women's cross country teams set multiple personal records Saturday morning at the Louisville Cross Country Classic at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park.
 
Morning temperatures were in the upper 60s and low 70s at start time with humid conditions. Of the 14 Chattanooga runners on the course, nine set PRs today.
 
"It was the first big race for a lot of the girls in about two years," Mocs head coach Andy Meyer said. "It was a great learning experience for them in such a huge field."
 
Transfer Justine Glass bested her 5-kilometer time set two weeks ago at the North Alabama Showcase by more than 11 seconds. She was the Mocs' top finisher in the race with a time of 18:10.4.
 
Lesley Green was the next Chattanooga runner across the line with a time of 18:21.2 followed by Emma Russum (19:00.7) and Mackenzie Jones (19:23.8).
 
"Justine had a huge bounce back race for us and Lesley was her steady self," Meyer said. "We are excited about Morgan and Faith running so well."
 
Morgan Oulette posted her best time, edging out her previous top time at 19:29.1 and Faith Brown improved her PR by more than seven seconds at 19:36.8.
 
"We still have a couple things to get worked out," Meyer added. "But this young group of ladies are certainly up to the task."
 
Six of the seven from the men's team set PRs in the fast-paced race.
 
"The guys had a great last two weeks of workouts," Meyer said. "They were primed for a good meet and they all delivered emphatically. They were patient early and gave themselves a chance to have a great day."
 
Jonathan Boyd was the Mocs top finisher with a PR time of 25:23.7. Ryan Phillips shaved 1:14.5 off his time as the second Chattanooga runner across the finish line at 25:40.9.
 
Kaigen Mulkey ran his first 8-kilometer race of his collegiate career, clocking in at 26:31.1 and Aaron Isbell outpaced his PR set earlier this season with a time of 27:10.7.
 
Jasper Wilson was the fifth scoring runner for the Mocs with a time of 27:45.3. Eammon O'Bryant improved over his previous best time set two weeks ago with a mark of 27:50.7 and Eric Mitchell placed at 28:49.5.
 
"To have six of the seven guys PR is pretty remarkable," Meyer added. "The one that didn't ran with congestion."
 
The men's top finisher was Wisconsin with 26 points followed by Grand Valley State with 67. The Mocs placed 35th Saturday morning. The women's race was won by Michigan with 39 points followed by Wisconsin with 75. Chattanooga was 37th overall in the highly competitive race. 
 
"We have a few weeks now before our next race," Meyer said. "We will be working hard on our weaknesses and improving our fitness."
 
Up next for Chattanooga is the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle Invitational on October in Cookeville.

 

Men's 8K Results
153	Jonathan Boyd	25:23.27	PR
184	Ryan Phillips	25:40.9	PR
252	Kaigen Mulkey	26:31.1	PR
295	Aaron Isbell	27:10.7	PR
320	Jasper Wilson	27:45.2
325	Eammon O'Bryant	27:50.7	PR
340	Eric Mitchell	28:49.5	PR

 

Women's 5K Results
104	Justine Glass	18:10.4	PR
126	Lesley Green	18:21.2
232	Emma Russum	19:00.7
280	Makenzie Jones	19:23.8
296	Morgan Oulette	19:29.1	PR
311	Faith Brown	19:36.8	PR
---	Ashtyn Hagood	DNF