Suied places first at Terry Masterson Twilight Classic
Led by sophomore Lubna Suied winning the women's three-mile race at the season-opening Terry Masterson Twilight Classic Friday night in Hutchinson, KS, the Cowley College women's cross country team placed second out of five teams. Cloud County placed first with 35 team points, while Cowley finished with 52 points.
Suied, a returning All-American, finished 20.1 seconds in front of runner-up Patricia Koma of Cloud County. Suied's time of 18:24.9 was the sixth fastest in school history.
"I am very proud of Lubna. Her win did not surprise me one bit," Cowley head coach Cameron Rieth said. "She has a very disciplined work ethic and is a fierce competitor."
Lady Tiger freshman Karissa Glover shined in her debut, placing 10th out of 50 runners with a time of 20:05.4, while Zinara Lesley (20:11.0) and Sierra Saenz (20:16.5) were just behind in 11th and 12th place.
"I was really proud of Zinara and the two freshman girls (Karissa and Sierra)," Rieth said. "This was Karissa's first time racing anything further than two miles, and Sierra was on her first race back from hip surgery. I am very proud of the way they competed."
Other Lady Tiger runners at the meet were, Abby White (21:13.7), Emily Flores (21:17.2), and Karstyn Nolan (23:59.3).
Cowley will return to action Saturday, September 19 when they compete at Bethel College in Newton, KS.
"We still have a lot of work to do and some questions that need answered," Rieth said. "Who is going to step up and close the gap between four and five on our women's team? We have the girls who could do it, but the decision is theirs on whether they will do the things that will allow that to happen or not."
Team scores: (1) Cloud County, 35; (2) Cowley, 52; (3) Hutchinson, 59; (4) Dodge City, 92; (5) Barton, 114.