Cleveland State's Men's and Women's Cross Country teams participated in their first race of 2018 as they traveled up to Lookout Mountain to compete in the Covenant College Mountaintop Invitational. The Cougars had hot and humid weather to deal with on a course that contained some rocky trails and major hills. The men's team just missed second place by 2 points with Luis Perez leading the Cougars, finishing 5th overall.
"He is continuing to get better and with hard work, he will get to the next level." Head Coach David Kyle said of Perez. Kyle's number 2 runner, Derek Gallardo finished in 11th place while Alec Bloomer, Alberto Dominguez and David Tullock finishing in 17th, 23rd and 25th place respectively.
The Lady Cougars started the season down a runner, as Ki'Ana Queener was out with an injury. Madison Guider led the Lady Cougars with a 13:35 time and a 5th place finish overall. "Madison has worked hard and the biggest decision she has is what school wants to attend after Cleveland State. She is currently being recruited by many schools and will find herself successful no matter where she goes," said Coach Kyle. He continued, "I am very proud of our performance here at Covenant. They pushed through the injuries and sickness and still managed to have a solid performance. Our plan is to focus on a great week of training as we prepare for our next meet, the Zaxby's Open in Greeneville, TN at Tusculum College on Friday."