Freshman Farah Abdulkarim finished 22nd out of 228 runners on the men's side, and senior Alex Morris led the Morehead State women Saturday as both cross country teams competed at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.
"Both teams raced in the pouring rain, which made the course much more challenging," said head coach Stephen Picucci. "They both ran tough in a very strong field."
Running in just his second collegiate race and his first 8K, Abdulkarim covered the course in 25:23.8. Morris, who is coming off a redshirt season, ran the 5K course in 18:56.2.
Sophomore Justin Moakler came in second for the men, running a 25:43.5 to finish in 40th place. Sophomore Corey Tooke (26:39.9) and junior Hunter Trenary (27:02.3) were next in line for the Eagles.
The women's race was delayed for an hour due to inclement weather. When action resumed, senior Mackenzie Butler finished second on the team with a time of 19:01.1, and she was followed by freshmen Abbie Dorn (19:02.0) and Caitlin Cunningham (19:13.2). Sophomore Kansas Greenwell (19:13.9) rounded out the top five for the Eagles.
"The women had to deal with the delay literally right before the start of their race," Picucci added. "But I thought they handled it well and gave it their best."
Both teams return to action on Oct. 1 at the Greater Louisville Classic, the largest collegiate meet in the south.
