Mississippi State
Georgia Cross Country Invitational
Bulldogs Bring Home The Silver In Their 2010 Cross Country Debut
September 04, 2010 | Cross Country
ATHENS, Ga. - First-year coach Houston Franks was eager to see how his young team would respond in Mississippi State's cross country opener on Saturday at the Georgia Invitational.
Based on the Bulldogs' stellar results, he was quite pleased with how the year got underway, especially considering the level of competition the field featured.
Host Georgia claimed top honors in both the men's and women's events, but finishing a close second in each run was MSU.
"I'm just really happy with how both teams ran," Franks said. "We were at a competitive meet, and both teams really impressed me."
Georgia men won with 24 points, while Mississippi State was second with 37, followed by Georgia Tech at third with 70 points. For the women, it was Georgia again taking first with 27 points, Mississippi State second with 54 and Tulane third with 77 points.
Brett Richardson of UGA won the men's individual with a time of 24:33.18, while MSU freshman Nick Perkins was a close second at 24:40.97. Freshman Mike Clark finished fourth with a time of (24:44.75). Senior Adam Lenz (24:54.99) and sophomore Phillip Johnson (24:56.98) rounded out the Top 10 with eighth- and 10th-place finishes, respectively.
"With the men, I was really excited coming in. We have a lot of raw potential, and I was ready to see how we could compete," Franks said. "We have an attitude that we want to be on top, and after today I would say we are headed in the right direction."
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While Kristie Krueger of Georgia was the women's top finisher at 16:55.62, Mississippi State's Renee Masterson was the Lady Bulldogs' top runner with her fifth-place run of 18:14.72. Also finishing in the Top 10 was sophomore Haley Greenwell, at No. 7 with a time of 18:21.86.
"I'm very happy with Renee," Franks said. "Haley ran great, and Loren Bruce had a great race. Chloe(Phillips) ran good. She wasn't feeling well before the meet, but she still posted an impressive time. I'm very happy with where the women finished and where they are headed. After today, I would say we are a little ahead of where I had expected. Which is a good thing and a good problem to have."
The Bulldogs have a week off before they welcome teams to Starkville for the Bulldog Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 18.
Complete Results
Men
1. Georgia, 24 points
2. Mississippi State, 37
3. Georgia Tech, 70
4. Mercer, 146
5. Atlanta TC, 164
6. Tulane, 165
7. Atlanta TC Masters, 182
8. Chattahoochee Tech, 239
9. Young Harris College, 244
10. Clark Atlanta, 277
Medalist: Brett Richardson, Georgia (24:33.18)
Mississippi State Men: No. 2, Nick Perkins (24:40.97); No. 4 Mike Clark (24:44.75); No. 8 Adam Lenz (24:54.99); No. 10, Phillip Johnson (24:56.98); No. 14, Matthew Cameron (25:10.64).
Women
Teams
1. Georgia, 27 points
2. Mississippi State, 54
3. Tulane, 77
4. Georgia Tech, 108
5. Mercer, 121
6. Young Harris College, 185
7. Clark Atlanta, 206
Medalist: Kristie Krueger, Georgia (16:55.62)
Mississippi State Women: No. 5, Renee Masterson (18:14.72); No. 7, Haley Greenwell (18:21.86); No. 17, Katie Hutson (18:55.24); No. 22, Chloe Phillips (19:02.51); No. 24, Loren Bruce (19:03.39).
Players Mentioned
