McNeese off to a flyer!
Damian back in action following prolonged injury and Summer of Rehabilitation
For those who don’t know He is third from left, front row. First Athlete from Craughwell A.C. to gain Scholarship to states. Smile says he’s delighted to be back with the squad.
The US Collegiate XC season is now well and truly underway with the release of the USTFCCCA Regional NCAA XC week 1 rankings on Monday, most teams across the country have now opened their seasons. The Cowboys did so at home in Lake Charles, LA at the annual McNeese XC Opener on August 30th, but this year with a twist for the men taking on the 6k distance rather than the customary 4k as we’ve seen in recent years. Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls took top honours on the evening sweeping the team titles for McNeese. Damian placing himself comfortably within the group and finishing as the 7th Cowboy on the day in a time of 19:06 in 12th place a respectable performance after setting the pace for the team through 2miles and having only been cleared to return to full training 2 months earlier following treatment and rehab from his Achilles tear last semester.
Still packed together deep into the race
The team then travelled last Friday, the 13th, to Houston, TX to compete at the Rice University Invitational right in the heart of the city. The men’s squad again on form finishing third on this occasion as the 2nd Southland Team (McNeese competes across all sports within the Southland Conference against 12 other schools) behind bitter rivals Lamar University of Texas but only by the very small margin of 4points (5 runners to score in American XC). Damian on this occasion right in the fray as the 4th Cowboy across the line in 21st place, with a time of 20:24 over the approximate 4mile distance.
The team will return home to host the annual Cowboy Stampede on September 28th where they will look to defend their current unbeaten records on home turf.
The rest of the season looks like this for the Pokes:
Sept 28th Cowboy Stampede McNeese State, Lake Charles LA
Oct 19th Arturo Barrios Invitational Texas A&M, College Station TX
Nov 1st Southland Conference Championship Central Arkansas, Conway AR
Nov 15th NCAA South Central Regional Meet Arkansas, Fayetteville AR
McNeese Media Meet Results