DETROIT, Mich. – The Cleveland State cross country team continued the 2016 season Saturday morning, as they competed at the Detroit Titan Invitational. As a team, Cleveland State finished sixth.
"Overall I thought we ran really well today, everyone improved on their times from last week, which is what we always want to see as we progress through the season," head coach Joe Jaketic said. "Karen's time of 19:02 might be one of the fastest times we have ever had on that course and it also might be the first time that we have had two runners break 20-minutes with Ashlyn also finishing at 19:52. This goes to show how well the team is doing early on in the season and they are all still hungry for more improvement."
For the second straight race, Cleveland State's top three finishers were Karen Barrientos, Ashlyn Woods and Olivia Hammons. Barrientos, who was the first Viking to cross the finish line, finished 15th overall with a time of 19:02 – a time that is tied for ninth on Cleveland State's top-50 5K performances list. Woods placed 31st overall with a time of 19:52, while Hammons finished 44th crossing the finish line in 20:25.
Running in her first race of the season due to injuries, junior Samantha Butterbaugh was the fourth Viking to post a top-50 finish, crossing the finish line in a time of 20:36 to place 49th overall.
Senior Alanna Shamrock improved on her time from the first race of the season last week, finishing 54th overall in a time of 20:48, while Jessica Finley improved on her career-best time, crossing the finish line in 21:03. Emily Marshall also improved on her time from last week's race, finishing in a time of 22:01.
Also competing for the Vikings were Anna Beasley, Emma McQuate, Bridget Smik and Andrea Wardeiner. This also marked the first race of the season for McQuate.
Cleveland State will return to action next Saturday, running at the Friendship Invitational in Cedarville, Ohio.
Detroit Titan Invitational Results
15. Karen Barrientos, 19:02
31. Ashlyn Woods, 19:52
44. Olivia Hammons, 20:25
49. Samantha Butterbaugh, 20:36
54. Alanna Shamrock, 20:48
62. Jessica Finley, 21:03
75. Emily Marshall, 22:01
89. Anna Beasley, 22:55
93. Emma McQuate, 23:20
98. Bridget Smik, 23:39
107. Andrea Wardeiner, 24:44