LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock returns to the course this weekend as the Trojans head north to Conway for the 2018 UCA Cross Country Invitational, being held Saturday, September 8 at Beaverfork Lake Park.
The Trojan women will take to the course first, running 5,000 meters beginning at 8:45 a.m. That will be followed by the men's 5,000 meter race, getting underway at approximately 9:20 a.m.
The event will mark the first of two meetings between Little Rock and Central Arkansas in the inaugural season of the Governor's I-40 Showdown with two points at stake in both the men's and women's race. The rivals will square off again on October 13 at the Little Rock Invitational at Rebsamen Park Golf Course.
In last season's event in Conway, the Trojan men placed second as
Isaac Lalang captured the individual title, finishing 15.2 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. Returners
Rogelio Araiza and
Emilio Medina also posted top-10 finishes, crossing the finish line eighth and ninth, respectively.
On the women's side, Little Rock placed fifth with 122 points, paced by Hannah Mannine's eighth-place showing. Returners
Vianney Sanchez and
Hunter Paul both finished among the top-20, placing 11th and 16th, respectively.
The Trojans will look to build off a good start to the 2018 season last week at the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic, highlighted by a fifth-place finish for Shanieke Watson as the Trojan women placed eighth among the 21-team field. Little Rock's men finished 13th overall with
Anthony Puerta leading the charge, placing 64th.
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