Weekend Wrap-up: Bulldog Cross Country squads race at OLLU Saints Invite

SAN ANTONIO -- The Texas Lutheran Women's and Men's Cross Country teams competed Saturday at the Our Lady of the Lake 2019 Saints Invite.

 

The TLU Women took sixth in the team standings with a point total of 167. Eleven total teams competed in the meet.

 

The TLU Men, battling a few injuries, ran just two student-athletes and worked on getting used to the 8K distance for freshmen runners Israel Olivarez (Pharr/PSJA North) and Koby Green (San Antonio/Clark).

 

The women's race was contested over six kilometers (3.73 miles). Both races took place at Windcrest Golf Club in San Antonio.

 

Senior Kylee Garcia (Wichita Falls/Rider) paced the Bulldogs with a 12th-place overall finish. She completed the race in 24 minutes, 47.8 seconds.

 

Fellow senior Ashley Rynard (Temple/Temple) posted a finish of 39th with a time of 26:40.20. Jackie Garcia (San Antonio/Cornerstone Christian) and Mackenzie Payne (Frisco/Heritage) came home in 47th and 51st, respectively, with times of 27:31.10 and 27:39.60.

 

Julia Maciel (San Antonio/Highlands) and Hannah Martinez (Alice/Alice) completed TLU's top-five lineup with finishes of 52nd and 54th, respectively, and times of 27:54.80 and 28:13.70.

 

"The women are progressing," said Darlene Holland, TLU's head coach for women's and men's cross country. "This was their first 6k of the season. Kylee is still learning some things to do some front-running. She is doing good."

 

"Ashley has been doing some things to help the freshmen develop and run with them. She is getting back to normal, and this feels easy for her. But she has to do this before she gets back to 100 percent."

 

For the men, Olivarez finished the 8K race in 33:21.00, and Green crossed the line in 35:51.20.

"For the men, it was just to get experience to run an 8K for the first time and get a positive experience. We really didn't run as fast as possible, but more to kind of get a feel for the 8K. I think they walked away from it with a positive attitude."

 

Both TLU squads compete this Friday at the Concordia Texas Cross Country Classic at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, Texas.