The UTM men’s cross country team finished ninth and the women’s team finished 10th at the Commodore Classic hosted by Vanderbuilt University held at Vaughn’s Creek Course in Nashville.

The Skyhawks were led by Robby Clapper, who placed 28th with a time of 28:07. Also scoring for the Skyhawks were Darrell Lewis, who placed 48th with 28:51; Jeremy Coltharp, who placed 56th with 29:37; and Ryan Wilson, who placed 72nd with a time of 30:42.

“Robby Clapper is having a great year so far,” said UTM cross country coach Jason McKinney. “He is starting to learn how to compete for a five-mile race. It takes a lot of heart to be able to push your limits for 27 minutes and not slack off.”

McKinney said Lewis and Coltharp are also taking the responsibility to pick up the slack for a good team finish. “I feel that the better our front runners get, the more our pack will improve. We were able to find out where we stand in the conference and where we need improvements. The men are starting to know what they want and they are willing to do the work. As long as we keep practicing like we are, we will do well at OVC.”

The Skyhawks finished with a total score of 248.

The Lady Skyhawks tied for 10th with Tennessee Tech with a score of 261. Tennessee Tech won the tiebreaker, which uses the sixth runner’s score.

The Skyhawks were led by Shalaine Phaup, who finished in eighth place with a time of 19:26. Also scoring for the Lady Skyhawks were Angelina Gracian, who placed 25th with 20:29, and Megan Vonderheide, who placed 70th with a time of 22:25. Other finishers included Mary-Tatum Ray, who placed 93rd; Kim VanWinkle, who placed 123rd; and Hannah Clawson, who placed 126th. The Skyhawks had two runners in the top 25 for the second consecutive meet.

“We are so close to the other conference schools, but we need to improve our pack if we are going to compete at the OVC Championships,” McKinney said..

The Skyhawks return to action Wednesday, Sept. 27, in the NCAA Cross Country Championship at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.