CLINTON, Miss. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Watson Collegiate Classic at Choctaw Trails Friday, wrapping up the Lions' final meet before the Southland Conference Championships.
 
In the Watson Collegiate Classic, hosted by Mississippi Christian University, the Southeastern men's team finished in 13^th-place as a team in the 8K race, while the SLU women's squad took 20^th in the 6K competition.
 
In a field of over 250 runners, junior Tanner Salsman was the first Lion to finish the race, clocking 26:16.3 for 35^th place. Matthew Norman was next up for SLU, taking 57^th place with a 26:50.5 mark. D'Juan Joseph ended the race in 104^th place, notching a time of 28:06.2.
 
Sabien Perry (140^th, 29:04.9) and Matthew Berthelot (143^rd, 29:13.3) were the next Southeastern runners to complete the event. Aiden Touchet (156^th, 29:33.0) and Edwin Portillo (157^th, 29:36.9) finished back-to-back. Peyton Dufrene took 185^th with a 30:35.6 mark. Tekoah Simpson helped the Lions secure their 13^th place finish, recording a 33:25.9 time in 218^th.
 
In a race of 214 student-athletes, Ava Pitarro led SLU in 15^th place, posting a career-best time of 23:17.2. Mya Parker was next in line for Southeastern, taking 97^th, and clocking 26:06.4. Alaisah Gray took 152^nd place with a mark of 28:26.0. Carrie Duke (183^rd) and Callie Arthur (197^th) closed the race out for SLU, recording times of 30:47.3 and 34:08.8, respectively.
 
With the pre-conference schedule in the books, the Lions are set for the Southland Conference Championships. The conference meet will take place at Enos Derbonne Sports Complex in Lake Charles, La., on Friday, Oct. 30. Meet results and meet information will be available on the cross country schedule page on www.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.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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