LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – For the first time under head coach Joe Jaketic the Cleveland State cross country team picked up an individual title, as Karen Barrientos won the LHU Invitational Saturday morning. Barrientos led the Vikings to a fourth place team finish, their second straight top-five team finish.
"I am so excited and ecstatic for Karen, she ran an awesome race and was just determined to win today," Jaketic said. "I'm so proud of what the entire team accomplished today, they all ran great races and we are all very happy with our overall team finish. We had a good week of practice leading up to today's race, and I think they are finally seeing that the workouts are helping their final times and they are all getting better week-after-week. We had a few runners who were battling sickness throughout the week, but they were able to overcome that today and help the team to a great finish."
Barrientos, who crossed the 5K split in third place, was able to turn it on over the final stretch of the race, crossing the finish line in a career-best and winning time of 22:25. Both of her times rank in the top-three on the CSU Top Performances list, as her 5K split is tied for third, and her 6K time is tied for second.
Ashlyn Woods was the second Viking to cross the finish line Saturday morning, as she placed 13th overall in a time of 23:05. Cleveland State had another trio of finishers in the top-50 then, as Samantha Butterbaugh (31st – 23:47), Olivia Hammons (33rd – 23:55), and Jessica Finley (35th – 23:56) were all able to finish among the top-50 runners.
Cleveland State's top five finishers all posted 6K times that rank in the top-35 on the CSU Top Performances list.
Alanna Shamrock (56th – 24:40) and Emily Marshall (79th – 25:04) were the next two Vikings to cross the finish line, with Marshall posting a career-best 6K time. Anna Beasley (25:33), Emma McQuate (27:06), and Andrea Wardeiner (28:11) also competed for the Vikings.
Cleveland State will return to action next weekend, taking part in the All-Ohio Championship on Friday, September 30.
LHU Invitational Results
1. Karen Barrientos, 22:25
13. Ashlyn Woods, 23:05
31. Samantha Butterbaugh, 23:47
33. Olivia Hammons, 23:55
35. Jessica Finley, 23:56
56. Alanna Shamrock, 24:40
79. Emily Marshall, 25:04
96. Anna Beasley, 25:33
140. Emma McQuate, 27:06
162. Andrea Wardeiner, 28:11