The University of Mississippi’s men’s and women’s cross country teams kicked off their seasons Saturday at the Memphis Twilight Cross Country Classic. The women’s team won the 5K race, while the men’s team finished second in the four-mile event.
Leading the women’s team, Alicia Finnis finished third overall with a time of 17:28.02. Adie Luna was fifth in 17:35.61. Addy Mitchell and Brooke Preputnick finished seventh and eighth, respectively, giving Ole Miss four runners in the top 10. Jillian Candelino placed 11th in 18:03.69, and Zoe Marsh finished 12th at 18:06.71. Madison Archdale was 13th with a time of 18:06.86. Shannon Zugelder finished 18th at 18:19.62, while Natalie Duggan and Reese Reaman finished 28th and 29th in 18:44.46 and 18:45.62, respectively. All Rebels finished within the top 30 among more than 160 runners.
On the men’s side, Zack Gilbertson led Ole Miss with a sixth-place finish in 19:26.53. Ky Hehir finished 10th in 19:31.45, and John Shoemaker was 11th in 19:42.67. Owen Kelley finished 13th at 19:57.10, and Luke Hurley placed 16th in 20:04.96. Aidan Hodge finished 24th in 20:20.72, with Travis Furmanski in 31st at 20:27.82. Samuel Ferguson finished 34th in 20:31.36, and Landen McNair was 55th in 21:00.94.
The teams will continue training ahead of their next meet, scheduled for September 25 in Columbia, Missouri, at the Gans Creek Classic.
