Spartans Battle Through Tough Course and Heat at SIUE

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Despite temperatures reaching as high as 98 degrees, the Missouri Baptist University men's and women's cross country teams battled through the heat and a challenging course at the SIUE Cougar Challenge.
The Spartans' women finished third out of four teams, while the men placed second among the three teams that recorded team scores.

On the women's side, three Spartans finished inside the top 10 of the 5K, led by junior Julia Whorton. Whorton placed seventh with a time of 19:54.9.

"I think our team competed well," said Whorton. "We're definitely making strides in the right direction."

Freshman Kailey Lawrence followed closely behind in eighth, clocking a collegiate personal best of 20:13.1. Sophomore Alyssa Collins rounded out the Spartans' top-10 finishers, crossing the line in 20:35.2.

The men's team competed in the 8K, with three Spartans finishing inside the top six. Freshman Wade Patten led the way with a fourth-place finish in 27:12.2. Junior Brandon Etheridge followed in fifth at 27:27.6, while Grant Patten finished sixth with a time of 27:29.1.

Junior Clayton Schneider also posted a top-10 finish, crossing the finish line in 28:11.8 to place ninth.

"It's nice to run close to home," said head coach Jerry. "It was great having support from our strength and conditioning coaches, along with our track and field athletes who made the trip out to support us."

The Spartans will have a couple of weeks off before returning to action at the 38th Annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on Oct. 3 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Etheridge: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Grant Patten: 5' 11"; Junior

Clayton Schneider: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Julia Whorton: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Alyssa Collins: 5' 2"; Freshman

Kailey Lawrence: 5' 4"; Freshman

Wade Patten: 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Brandon Etheridge
: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Grant Patten
: 5' 11"; Junior

Clayton Schneider
: 6' 1"; Sophomore

Julia Whorton
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Alyssa Collins
: 5' 2"; Freshman

Kailey Lawrence
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Wade Patten
: 5' 10"; Freshman