d women cross country teams invited archrival Texas Southern University to the Clifton Gilliard Invitational. The dual meet would serve as a marker for both teams, and hopefully, propel the Panthers into the winner’s circle once again. Fortunately, the Panthers landed in that exact spot with great efforts across the board from all of their runners. Prairie View A&M grabbed the first eight spots in the competition, as Texas Southern’s Devarius Wright finished in ninth, the highest slot for the Tigers. Errol Hampton led the Panthers in overall time, running the five-mile course in 29:15.64.
The only other Panther to finish the race under 30 minutes was Adrian Davis, who ran the same course in 29:28.14. Four Panthers ran strong and ended the race in less than 31 minutes with Juan Morales leading the pack at 30:02.21. Jodale Buckley and Matthew Jones started and completed the five miles almost simultaneously, bringing home times of 30:12.46 and 30:12.68, respectfully. Patrick Range rounded out the four-pack with a time of 30:27.49. Also, Kipyegon Rutoh (31:45.75) and Michael White (33:19.10) came in seventh and eighth place following their run.
On the women’s side of the meet, the Lady Panthers dominated the Lady Tigers, landing eight runners in the top ten spots. The team also managed to win the top five positions, led by Guadalupe Bustamante, who ran the three-mile course in 22:46.48. Angel Brooks (22:53.08), Whitley Dobbins (24:02.98), Branee Robinson (24:09.38), and Corinna Brown (24:0.83) all followed Bustamante with times that were marked under 25 minutes. Selena Fudge of Texas Southern finished sixth with the only other time under 25 minutes.
The other Bustamante, Leticia, also ran well during the three miles, ending the race with a time of 25:06.76. Sabrina Fudge (25:39.26) crossed the finish line after her. Jessica Phillips came through in tenth place for the Lady Panthers with a time of 26:55.26.
The next meet for both teams will take place in Live Oak, Texas, at the Incarnate Word Invite. The cross country meet is scheduled for Oct. 10 and the start time is noon.