Cross country finishes strong

Texas A&M University-Commerce's cross country athletes continue to shine. Two weeks after the men's team earned third place in the Lone Star Conference, they placed fifth out of 32 teams in NCAA South Central Regional. The team was only five points away from winning third place and securing a berth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The men's team was led by all-Lone Star Conference runner Tyler Tyndell, whose fifth place finish in the competition secured him a spot in the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 and won him all-region honors. This caps off a fantastic season for Tyndell, who had already won all-Lone Star Conference honors.

Robert Reed also won all-region honors with his 13th place finish. Freshman Cody Hughes was the third Lion to cross the finish line with a 32nd place finish. Junior Gerardo Delafuente placed 41st and sophomore Brandon Womack was 63rd.Logan Kelly and Ray Moreno finished 109th and 134th, respectively.

On the women's side, Katie Donovan placed 62nd, finishing over 60 places higher than she did last year. She shaved about a minute and a half off of her finish at the same track earlier this year.

"Every athlete we took to the regionals competed and competed hard," Coach Rich Lawrence. "When they crossed the finish line, every athlete was trying to catch the person in front of them. Not only are they good athletes, but they are good students and wonderful to travel with."Lawrence will travel with Tyndell to the Championships in Slippery Rock, PA.