The UTM cross country team placed seventh and ninth in OVC last Saturday at Future’s Golf Course in Puryear, Tenn., hosted by Murray State.

Junior Shalane Phaup finished eigth overall. It is an honor to finish in the top ten in conferences.

Phaup lead the Lady Skyhawks with the fastest 5k time ever for UTM with a blazing 18:31.50. The team finished seventh out of 11 teams with an average time of 20:54, compared to Eastern Illinois first place average time of 18:26.63.

Angelina Gracian followed with a time of 19:16.64 to receive a place of 20th.

“The women ran a good smart race this weekend, and I felt we placed as high as we could have this year,” said UTM cross country coach Jason McKinney.

“I was really proud of the entire team, because everyone did their part.”

Junior Jeremy Coltharp led the Skyhawks with an 8k time of 27:50.93 and a 31st place finish overall, and following him was junior Darrell Lewis, with a time of 28:08.56 to earn him a 34th place finish.

The Skyhawks finished ninth overall, with an average time of 29:08.74, though several of the men have been injured this season.

Eastern Illinois won yet again with an average time of 25:41.88. “Although we didn’t perform as well as we hoped, we still fought to the bitter end,” McKinney said.

“Most of the team is juniors and no one is graduating this year, so we still have another chance next year.”

“Overall, I was happy with the performance this season. We set a lot of records, and almost everyone improved,” McKinney said.

UTM will compete in Auburn, Alabama on Nov. 15 to end their season.