EASTON, Pa. – Joshua Ellis and Kassidy Ayres each earned individual victories and led the American University men's and women's cross country teams to second-place team finishes Saturday at the Leopard Invitational, hosted by Lafayette College.
The individual victories for Ellis and Ayres were the second of the season for each. They each crossed the line ahead of the pack on Sept. 26 at the DCXC/GW Invitational in Washington, D.C.
Ellis ran the 8-kilometer race in 25:26.5, earning a 12-second win over Rob Napolitano of Columbia. Eagle sophomore
Alaeldin Tirba was the Eagles' second finisher for the second time this season, placing sixth in 25:46.3.
The Eagles finished with 40 points, behind only Columbia, with 23. The Lions finished 2-3-4-6-8 in a close matchup with AU. Columbia was ranked 28th nationally and third in the Northeast Region in the most recent USTFCCCA poll.
Ayres brought the Eagle women to the line for the fifth time in as many races, continuing her stellar freshman season. She ran 22:00.9 over the 6K women's course, getting a 13-second victory over Columbia freshman Libby Kokes.
The Eagles put three in the top 10 in the women's race, including freshman
Adriana Hooks, who was seventh in 22:32.9 and senior
Kelseagh Budris, who was 10th in 22:49.7.
Columbia out-scored American 25-51, as the Lions picked up the 2-4-5-6-8 positions in the scoring. Columbia received votes in the national poll on the women's side and was ranked sixth in the Northeast Region.
American will take next weekend off before finishing preparations for the Patriot League Championships, to be held Oct. 31 at Colgate.
