BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The Murray State College men's and women's cross country teams turned in strong performances at the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Invitational on Friday, with both squads earning third-place team finishes against tough regional competition.
 
Women's 5K Recap
In the women's 5,000-meter race, freshman Erica Frass led the Aggies with a standout 4th-place finish, clocking 20:39. With the 20:39, Frass now holds the Murray State College women's program record for best 5K time. She was followed closely by teammates Cheyanne Herrier (15th, 23:14), Brynn Custar (16th, 23:18), Dakota Logan (19th, 23:34), and Christine Jebet Kurgat (21st, 24:04) to round out Murray State's scoring five.

Freshman Carlee Gayler (22nd, 24:33) and sophomore Zoë Jones (24th, 24:36) added depth. Cassi Matlack also crossed the line for the Aggies with a time of 28:28.

Murray State edged Coffeyville Community College for third place. NorthWest Arkansas CC won the meet, followed by Carl Albert State in second.

Men's 8K Recap
On the men's side, freshman Kaleb Madron was the top Aggie finisher, placing 5th overall in the 8,000-meter race with a time of 28:33. Sophomore Halen Pannell followed in 7th (28:53), giving Murray State two runners inside the top 10.

Additional scorers included Shawn Weaver (17th, 32:28), Juan Flores (20th, 32:48), and Josh Armstrong (21st, 33:53). Alex Gomez (23rd, 34:32) and Treygon Gehring (25th, 36:03) rounded out the lineup. Kameron Waller also competed, finishing in 36:46.

Murray State finished third behind champion NorthWest Arkansas CC and runner-up Carl Albert State.

Coach Wagner praised both teams for their early-season effort. "Our teams ran really fast times today against stiff competition. I was very impressed with the way each runner showed improvement from our first race just one week ago. We gained a lot of momentum today, and we look forward to carrying that into practice next week."

The Aggies will get some time off before returning to action at the end of the month for the Hill College Cross Country Classic. The Classic is set for 7:00 p.m. on September 26.

Assistant Sports Information Director: Jeremy Wagner | jwagner@mscok.edu
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