(MT. BERRY, Ga., Oct. 25)—The McKendree University cross country teams returned to action Saturday at the Southeast Classic, which was hosted by Berry College in Georgia.
The Bearcat men's squad turned in a strong performance, taking eighth place out of 20 teams in the event. Shorter College, ranked No. 17 in the NAIA, won the men's race, followed by the University of the Cumberlands. Sophomore Elias Melly (Eldoret, Kenya) finished fifth individually out of 195 runners in the meet. Melly notched a season best in the race with a time of 25:59 over the eight-kilometer course. Junior Mike Mendez (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) set a personal best with a time of 27:01.
McKendree did not record a team score in the women's race, but the Bearcats received a solid effort from freshman Jasmine Perry (Sparta, Ill./Sparta). She was 28th out of 150 runners on the day, covering the five-kilometer course in a time of 20:36. That was just one second off Penny's seasonal best.
The post-season is up next for the McKendree cross country squads. The Bearcats will compete in the American Midwest Conference championship, which will be held on Friday, Nov. 7 at Forest Park in St. Louis.
-McK-
