NORTHVILLE, Mich. – Behind three sub 20-minute 5K marks, the Cleveland State cross country team placed fourth at the 2014 Running Fit – Detroit Titan Invitational Saturday morning. The Vikings earned 116 points, finishing just one place behind Detroit, and beating Oakland – both Horizon League opponents.
"We collectively had an awesome race today," head coach Joe Jaketic said. "Tori ran the best time of her career, and we had two other runners also break 20 minutes, which is just fantastic. Everyone looked relaxed throughout the race, and they all improved from last week. The entire team is once again looking forward to the next race, and we are going to work extremely hard in practice this week and hope to continue improving week-after-week."
For the second straight week the Vikings were paced by Tori Holt, who placed 13th overall with a personal-best time of 19:07. Holt's time is the seventh fastest 5K mark over the past 10 seasons, and she became just the second Viking during that span to break the 19:10 mark.
Ashlyn Woods and Katie Webb also posted sub 20-minute 5Ks Saturday, Woods placing 27th with a time of 19:44 and Webb placing 34th with a mark of 19:57.
Along with this trio, the Vikings had three more runners post top-60 times, with all three posting season-best marks. Samantha Butterbaugh finished 45th with a time of 20:23, Alanna Shamrock placed 50th in a time of 20:49, and Amelia Holt finished 56th in a time of 21:19.
The next three Vikings to cross the finish line were Megan O'Keefe (22:14), Sierra Swigert (22:18), and Erin Pavick (22:50) – all three also posting season-best times.
Kristin McCarthy (23:16), Ashley Lydic (24:22), and Emily Markshall (24:22) also competed for Cleveland State.
The Vikings will be in action next on Friday, September 12, when they participate in the BGSU Mel Brodt Invitational. The women's race is slated for a 7:10 p.m. start.
Detroit Titan Invitational Results:
13. Tori Holt – 19:07
27. Ashlyn Woods – 19:44
34. Katie Webb – 19:57
45. Samantha Butterbaugh – 20:23
50. Alanna Shamrock – 20:49
56. Amelia Holt – 21:19
72. Megan O'Keefe – 22:14
73. Sierra Swigert – 22:18
79. Erin Pavick – 22:50
87. Kristin McCarthy – 23:16
96. Ashley Lydic – 24:22
97. Emily Marshall – 24:22
