Following a hard-fought set of races, the University of Miami men’s and women’s cross-country teams placed sixth at the Tallahassee Invitational on Friday at Apalachee Regional Park. Following a 12th place finish just two weeks earlier at the Southern Showcase, the Hurricanes delivered a sixth overall bounce-back performance.
The men’s team claimed sixth place out of a competitive 35-team field, tallying 194 points. Graduate student Colton Morris led the way for Miami, placing 17th overall with an impressive 8K time of 25:11.7.
Freshman standout Sukai Truxal wasn’t far behind, taking 31st with a time of 25:35.6, showing promise for the future of ‘Canes XC. Junior Michael Castillo added another solid performance, finishing 47th overall in 25:55.7.
Rounding out Miami’s scorers were senior Evan Peña, who crossed in 48th at 25:57.3, and sophomore Alex Severson, who closed the scoring at 53rd with a time of 26:06.1. Collectively, the Hurricanes continue to shave significant time off their averages each meet.
On the women’s side, Miami turned in an equally strong showing. Facing a field of 36 teams, the Hurricanes scored 196 points. Junior Maddie Scheier continued her dominance as a Hurricane, recording a second top-15 finish of the year. She placed 15th overall with a 6K time of 21:41.1, pacing Miami with consistent success.
Close behind her was sophomore Emma Hencock, who placed 39th in 22:32.7, turning in one of her best efforts of the season. Miami also benefited from strong races by rising freshmen Katie Hetzel and Lillian Deskins, who finished 40th and 43rd, respectively, with times of 22:34.4 and 22:37.2. Both continue to find their footing at the collegiate level and have shown the potential to develop into stars for the Hurricanes in the years ahead.
Senior veteran Lexi Arambulo rounded out the scoring for the ‘Canes, clocking 22:55.9 to finish 61st overall. While her season started slowly, Arambulo displayed flashes of her past success, giving Miami another boost of optimism for the stretch ahead.
The Hurricanes will now take a three-week break from competition before traveling to the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Oct. 17. With momentum building from their strong performance at the FSU Invitational, Miami looks to continue their climb and make further strides as the season moves forward.