The South Plains College cross country teams were back in action on Thursday in Lubbock after competing in the Texas Tech Open on the Rawls golf course against an elite field of four-year universities.
Following a first place finish a week ago in Abilene, the Texans strung together another solid performance in the men's 8K, placing four runners inside the top 10 and took second place overall with a final team score of 29 points, with a total team time of 2:17:45. Texas Tech would take first with a final score of 15 points, with Abilene Christian, Lubbock Christian University, and New Mexico Highlands rounding out the top five. The Texans were the top finisher in the non-Division I category.
Freshman Felix Kosgei was the first runner to cross the finish line for South Plains, posting a final time of 26:46.4, good enough for fourth place. The Texans' Omero Rodriguez would go on to take sixth place overall with his final mark of 27:11.00, with Jose Silva finishing seventh with a final time of 27:14.60. Sophomore Nicholas Rotich would go on to take 10th after posting a final time of 27:47.40.
"I thought our guys really went out and got after it today," South Plains assistant coach Frank Barker said. "With last week and this week, I think our guys are rolling pretty good, and they have a chance to do some big things this season."
After finishing first a week ago, the Lady Texans would go on to place seventh overall in the women's 6K on Thursday morning. South Plains placed two runners inside the top 10, and finished with a final team score of 103, and a total team time of 2:08:24.20. West Virginia, Texas Tech and Lubbock Christian University claimed the top three spots. The Lady Texans were the fourth place finisher in the non-Division I category,
Freshman Seselia Dala put together another strong performance on an extremely tough course, finishing with a final time of 22:53.50, taking seventh place overall for the Lady Texans. Another young Lady Texan freshman would prove to be amongst the best in the field, as Leslie Romero went on take 10th overall with her final time of 23:49.40.
"I told our teams when we came over here this course was brutal, and our ladies went out a little bit fast on it and kind of paid the price a little bit late," Barker said. "Overall, though, I'm really tickled with the way they competed. They never gave up, and I like that, and they really got after it. I think once we get the ladies where they need to be, they are going to have a chance to do some good things. I was really pleased today overall."