CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the 2021 Southland Conference Cross Country Championships Friday morning at Islander Cross Country Course on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
The Lady Lions will be up first as the women's 6k race begins at 9 a.m. The men's 8k race will immediately follow at 10 a.m.

"It's hard to believe we are competing in our fourth conference championship in just eight months," said SLU track and cross country head coach Corey Mistretta. "Both teams have been training really hard and staying committed to the program. I am very excited to see how they compete, I'm sure they will make the Lion Nation proud."
 
The SLU men's team enters as the reigning Southland champions following last year's immaculate performance that saw five finish in the top 11 for the Lions, including Bradley Makuvire.
 
Makuvire, a Zvishavane, Zimbabwe native, has been on a tear this season winning all three races he has competed in. The Lions' sophomore won the LSU Invitational 6k, the Nicholls Invitational 4-mile and the Watson Invitational 8k in a 23-day stretch from Sept. 17-Oct. 9. The USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week and two-time Southland Athlete of the Week already this year, Makuvire finished 10^th in last year's Southland Championship which was hosted by SLU.

"Bradley is feeling really confident," said Mistretta.  "He's looking forward to a great race with his friends from McNeese and Corpus (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), it should be very exciting."

SLU's Julius Kemper and Noah Kiprotich could also make some noise Friday as the two have combined for three top 10 finishes this season.
 
On the women's side, Southeastern's Bernadette Tournoux is the front runner following an eighth place finish at the Nicholls Invitational 5k race. Brigid Tournoux, the twin sister, of Bernadette, could also give the Lady Lions a top finisher after finishing 11^th at Nicholls.

"Both teams are feeling confident," said Mistretta. "And both believe they will have the best race of the season. As a coaching staff we can't ask for much more than that."
 
Fans can follow live results of both races with a link available at the Southeastern cross country schedule page at LionSports.Net.
 
PODIUM CLUB/S CLUB                                                         
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the track and field program are encouraged to join the Podium Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Podium Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern track and field program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
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