CLINTON, MS – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's and women's cross-country teams traveled to Clinton, Mississippi, to compete for the title in the 2021 SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Cross Country Championship on Monday at the Choctaw Trails.
Starting off to what would seem like a cold day would quickly progress into a beautiful day to race on a nice trail at the SWAC Championship.
Starting with the women's side, every competitor with a UAPB top set a new personal best in the race.
Sophomore Zadie St. Louis started her race off going at a steady pace and with a strategy to stay with the pack before putting on the jets on the final stretch to secure a spot in the top-ten to finish eighth overall with a new personal best of 19:37.11 to generate eight points, crossing the line first for Arkansas Pine-Bluff. St. Louis would also earn Second Team All-SWAC honors.
Sophomore Ishmia Black would follow the same strategy as St. Louis but would get out hard to find herself a suitable place within the pack, increasing her pace as she progressed throughout the trail. Going down the home stretch, Black gave it her all to place in the top ten, with Arkansas Pine-Bluff freshman Sarah Medcalf fighting along with her to secure a top spot as well. Black would place 15th with a personal best time of 20:05.30, crossing the line second for UAPB and Medcalf finished in 17th place with a personal best of 20:13.71 to be the third to run across the finish line for UAPB.
Freshman Joanna Rodgers would finish in 27th place with a new personal best of 20:50.71 to cross the finish line fourth for the Lady Lions, followed by freshman Shaunia Mcfarlane who finished 45th overall with a time of 22:32.69 to be the fifth finisher for Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the women's 5k run.
The Lady Lions would finish fourth place overall out of 12 teams with 112 points.
On the men's side, the Golden Lions were focused on repeating what happened in 2018, winning the SWAC title.
Junior Baron Freeman would use his height and long legs to carry himself through the race. Running at a solid 5:22 mile pace, Freeman made his final turn to give all the blood and sweat he had to ensure he crossed the finish line placing in the top ten in which he understood the assignment, finishing in eight overall with a time of 26:43.09 to be the first in a UAPB jersey to cruise through the finish line, earning Second Team All-SWAC honors.
Freshman Rio Williams raced his own the best he could by finding himself a pace comfortable enough for himself before using all his strength to turn on the jets in the final stretch. Williams missed the top-ten by two spots, finishing in 12th place with a time of 27:03.23 to cross the line second for the Golden Lions.
Freshmen Terrance Johnson and Genesis Joseph would push each other throughout the race, running at a 5:30 mile pace. Johnson would finish in 15th place with a time of 27:21.50 to cross the line third for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Joseph would finish right behind Johnson in 16th place a second later with a time of 27:22.98, being the fourth to run through the line.
Junior Tarik Xavier pushed his way to the line to finish along with Johnson and Joseph but would be separated by Jackson State's Stephen Korir, causing Xavier to finish in 18th place with a time of 27:38.49, maintaining an impressive 5:33 mile pace to be the fifth Golden Lion to cross the finish line in the men's 8k run.
The Golden Lions men's cross-country team performed outstandingly, earning the team a second-place finish with 69 points collectively.
UAPB head coach Christopher McCoy was highly impressed with how his cross-country programs performed today. "Championships like the SWAC is about the team effort, and I am proud of how they ran together as a team," said McCoy. "The success doesn't stop here; we have to keep it going on the track now."
SWAC Honors
Zadie St. Louis – Second Team All-SWAC (Women's 5k Run)
Baron Freeman – Second Team All-SWAC (Men's 8k Run)
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