Marshall Cross Country Gets Early Preview of Sun Belt Conference Championships at Southern Showcase

 By Ben Anderson


    Marshall Cross Country got a taste for the Sun Belt Conference Championship meet over the weekend at the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State University in Foley Alabama.


    Marshall Cross Country head coach Caleb Bowen said that the meet did a great job preparing the team for what is ahead.


    “I think it did pretty well,” Coach Bowen said during an interview with First and Ben. “Classic, it was hot, it was humid. We got to see a lot of our conference mates. So, it was everything we wanted it to be when we were scheduling. It did not look that though, it looked cool. It looked like it was going to be a cool, crisp morning, but classic Alabama will always turn humid. And sure enough, it wasn’t the hottest meet we’ve ever been to, but it was definitely one that was tough.”


    The men’s team finishED 27th out of 34 teams and for the second straight meet was led by sophomore Justin Lipscomb, who ran the 8k with a time of 25:13. Lipscomb said that the men’s did a great job not getting lost in the pack.


    “I think as a team we ran pretty solid,” Lipscomb said in an interview with First and Ben. “Our top group of people were pretty condensed, and we worked as a team. it was a very big meet, so we kind of, in the past, like can’t really run together because you get lost in so many people, but I think we did solid as a team. We beat two Sun Belt schools. 50 team meets are a lot different than a 10 team meet, like conference is going to be.”


    Lipscomb said what stands out about the men’s team this season is the work ethic from each runner.  


    “We’re a lot more committed,” Lipscomb said. “I would say we’re a lot closer. Thia is my second year, so I don’t have two years to go off of, but in comparison to last year, this team puts in the work. The average person is much more committed, and you can Definity see the team trending in the right direction.”


    The women’s team finished 18th out of 43 teams in the 5k. Leading the way for the second straight meet was sophomore Destiny Berryman with a time 17:34 that earned her Sun Belt Conference Female Runner of the Week. Bowen said that’s it been great to see Berryman and Lipscomb step up and take on the leadership roles of their teammates of the past. 


    “It’s awesome,” Bowen said. “We knew those two were going to be really good and were going to be leaders, and they’ve done just that. They’ve definitely followed the footsteps of some great ones too, like Abby (Herring), like Kylee (Mastin), Hannah (Wyler) as well. On the men’s side, having Ronnie (Saunders) and Evan (White) and Kauz (Kazuma Bowring) last year. So, it’s nice to see them kind of just develop and fit in those roles.”


    Marshall Cross Country now shifts its focus to the Live in Lou Classic hosted by the University of Louisville on October 4th. 


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