Blinn College men’s and women’s cross country runners finished their stint at the two-day Trinity Invitational on Saturday in San Antonio.
The meet was hosted by NCAA Division III program Trinity University.
The Buccaneers entered individual runners from their fall cross country squads into long-distance events and did not record team scores.
Sophomore highlighted the men’s efforts with a pair of strong races.
He finished third in the 37-man 5,000-meter run with a time of 15 minutes, 42.49 seconds, and added a runner-up performance in the eight-man 3,000-meter steeplechase with a mark of 10:04.78. Bucs freshman Joseph Villegas placed fourth in the steeplechase at 10:31.57.
“Super proud of Eric and Joseph today,” Blinn head coach Jesse Parker said. “They both ran well and Eric really put together two great runs.”
On the women’s side, freshman Juliana Jeansonne paced the Bucs with a strong showing in the 800-meter run. She took eighth among 40 runners with a time of 2:24.67.
“Juliana had a big breakthrough,” Parker said. “She had been training and racing well, as she had a small personal best last week at the Prairie View A&M Relays but had a chance to race in a very competitive field this weekend. She ran a very intelligent race and her growth over the past six months as an athlete has been fun to watch.”
Blinn will continue its track venture at the two-day Carl Kight Invitational hosted by NCAA Division I program Stephen F. Austin University on Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, in Nacogdoches, Texas.
“I have been excited about the development of this group since the Fall,” Parker added. “Their maturity and understanding of how to operate and prepare at a high level has become a habit for many of them, and our rate of improvement has us excited about our remaining races this spring.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 50 national championships since 1987.
