Cross Country Places Second at West Georgia
The Brenau cross country team placed three runners in the top ten for a strong showing at the University of West Georgia season opener in Carrollton, Ga. on Friday.
Michelle Velazquez, Monika Nwajei and Nia Griffin all finished in the top ten to help the Golden Tigers to a second overall finish.
Velazquez, a sophomore from Duluth, Ga., ran 21:33 to place second out of 35 runners, while Nwajei and Griffin placed ninth and tenth with times of 23:54 and 24:01 respectively.
Senior Anazjah Mayes also had an outstanding day, racing to a 12th place finish in 24:42, and freshman Giovanna Sifontes ran 26:12 in her first collegiate race.
Elizabeth Lowe (22nd place, 28:08) and Ayana Daniels (30th place, 30:59) rounded out the Brenau finishers.
"We raced really well as a team," said head coach Heather Estetter. "The times aren't where we want them yet, but that will improve as the season goes on."
"We are looking more confident in workouts and are supporting each other through the hard training days."
The Golden Tigers ran at total team time of 2:00.24 and had an average time of 24:04.
Host University of West Georgia placed first with a team time of 1:54.30, while Point (Ga.) University (2:01.12) placed third. Clark Atlanta, Tuskegee and LaGrange rounded out the field.
Brenau next races on Saturday at the North Georgia Invitational, hosted by the University of North Georgia, in Dahlonega, Ga.