University of Houston
SFA Lumberjack Preview
Women Second, Men Fourth in Season Opener
9/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
HOUSTON -- The Houston Cougar Cross Country team opened the 2016 season with a second-place finish for the women and a fourth-place finish for the men at the SFA Lumberjack Preview, on Friday, in Nacogdoches, Texas.
WHERE THEY RANKED
Women's Finish (2-mile): Second (53 points)
Men's Finish (5,000-meters): Fourth (88 points)
Top Women's Finisher: Selena Sierra, 2nd, 11:13.98
Top Men's Finisher: G.J. Reyna, 8th, 15:50.22
RETURNING TO THE COURSE
After missing the entire 2015 season due to an injury, redshirt senior Selena Sierra returned to the women's cross country team in a big way on Friday, finishing as the Cougars' top overall runner in the 2-mile event. Sierra ran 11:13.98 to finish second overall, just 2.1 seconds behind the first place finisher from the University of Texas.
Maddie Brown picked up right where she left off in 2015 and opened the new season with a top-10 finish of her own, finishing ninth in 11:43.27, while Jennifer Dunlap (11:53.44) and Nikita Prasad (11:57.54) rounded out the top-15, placing 14th and 15th respectively.
Ebony White finished the scoring for the women in 16th place, running 12:02.70, and Houston's women finished second overall with 53 points (2, 9, 13, 14, 15)
YOUNGSTERS LEAD THE WAY
Cougar sophomore G.J. Reyna led the Cougar men on Friday with an eighth place finish in the 5K in 15:50.22, helping Houston to a fourth place overall finish with 88 points (8, 16, 17, 21, 26). The second fastest racer for the men was junior Matt Parmley, who ran 16:24.29 to cross the line in 19th, while a trio of freshmen in Kody Anderson (16:33.82, 22nd), Cameron Laverty (16:47.97, 26th), and Nicholas Hamilton (17:13.33, 21st) rounded out Houston's top-5 finishers.
TEAM SCORES
MEN
1. Texas -- 17 points (1, 2, 3, 4, 7)
2. Stephen F. Austin -- 71 points (6, 11, 15, 19, 20)
3. Sam Houston -- 79 points (5, 10, 14, 22, 28)
4. Houston -- 88 points (8, 16, 17, 21, 26)
5. Houston Baptist -- 110 points (13, 18, 23, 25, 31)
WOMEN
1. Texas -- 36 points (1, 5, 8, 10, 12)
2. Houston -- 53 points (2, 9, 13, 14, 15)
3. Stephen F. Austin -- 65 points (4, 6, 7, 20, 28)
4. Sam Houston -- 91 points (3, 11, 23, 25, 29)
5. Houston Baptist -- 120 points (21, 22, 24, 26, 27)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
MEN
8. G.J. Reyna, 15:50.22
19. Matt Parmley, 16:24.29
22. Kody Anderson, 16:33.82
26. Cameron Laverty, 16:47.97
31. Nicholas Hamilton, 17:13.33
32. Justin Barrett, 17:14.59
34. Alex Arnold, 17:15.79
37. Drake Murphy, 17:57.20
42. Caleb Beacham, 19:05.03
WOMEN
2. Selena Sierra, 11:13.98
9. Maddie Brown, 11:43.27
14. Jennifer Dunlap, 11:53.44
15. Nikita Prasad, 11:57.54
16. Ebony White, 12:02.70
18. Kristin Powell, 12:08.70
19. Maria Gonzales, 12:12.00
21. Emely Morgado, 12:15.63
23. Britani Gonzales, 12:31.15
27. Jahnavi Schneider, 12:37.01
28. Mackenzie Ilari, 12:39.12
37. Debra Taylor, 13:23.01
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars on Friday, Sept., 9 for the 41st Annual Rice Invitational. The Cougars will run in their first meet inside the city limits beginning at 6:15 p.m., next week.
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Players Mentioned
