Cross Country teams second at PowerAde Invitational

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Middle Tennessee men’s and women’s cross country teams each came away with second-place finishes on Friday evening at the PowerAde Invitational.

Meet host Chattanooga won the men’s race with 31 points, outpacing the Blue Raiders who tallied 55 points. Lipscomb took the women’s team title, amassing a mere 21 points while Middle Tennessee posted 64 points to edge Jacksonville State for second place by one point.

Blue Raider senior Justus David picked up the individual title in the men’s race, clocking a 5k time of 14 minutes, 57 seconds. Meanwhile freshman Lucy Kapkiai ran a two-mile 10:57 to win the women’s race. The individual sweep marks the first time Middle Tennessee took both individual titles since Festus Chemaoi and Zamzam Sangau captured the individual titles at the 2009 UTC Front Runner Invitational.

Blue Raider freshmen Robinson Simatei and Silas Taiget also notched top-10 finishes for the men’s squad. Simatei finished fourth with a time of 15:20 while Taiget crossed the finish line in ninth place while running a 15:38.

”I cannot say enough about Justus David,” said cross country head coach Dean Hayes. “He is a terrific runner and he makes his teammates better, which is only going to help us as the season goes on.”

Sophomore Autumn Gipson was the second Blue Raider woman to complete the two-mile course, clocking an 11:58 while placing 19th. Fellow sophomore Deanna Brasz followed shortly behind, finishing 22nd with a time of 12:16.

”I was pleased with the effort from the women,” Hayes said. “Lucy continues to run well despite having little experience.”

The Blue Raider cross country teams will return to action next Saturday when the teams head to Nashville for the second time this year, this time for the VU Commodore Classic.

Follow the Blue Raider men’s and women’s cross country teams on Twitter @MTTrackField and on Facebook at the MT Track & Field page. Also, stay up-to-date on the teams on their new blog, which can be found linked on the Track & Field page on GoBlueRaiders.com.

Men's Team Results
Finish, Team, Points
1, Chattanooga, 31
2, Middle Tennessee, 55
3, Lipscomb, 56
4, UT-Martin, 99
5, Jacksonville State, 108
6, Tennessee State, 176
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P> Men's Individual Results
Finish, Name, Time (Winner and MT Finishers)
1, Justus David (MT), 14:57
4, Robinson Simatei, 15:20
9, Silas Taiget, 15:38
21, Lyle Haywood, 16:14
23, Keith Davis, 16:24
46, Jamarious Jones, 18:03

Women's Team Results
Finish, Team, Points
1, Lipscomb, 21
2, Middle Tennessee, 64
3, Jacksonville State, 65
4, Chattanooga, 99
5, UT-Martin, 118
6, Tennessee State, 161

Women's Individual Results
Finish, Name, Time (Winner and MT Finishers)
1, Lucy Kapkiai (MT), 10:57
19, Autumn Gipson, 11:58
22, Deanna Brasz, 12:16
29, Rachel Islam, 12:26
31, Stephanie Smith, 12:29

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.