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NEW ORLEANS —
A year ago it was
Lejaune George. Friday it was
Landan Gillespie.
Gillespie became the fifth Xavier University
of Louisiana men's cross country freshman to break 17 minutes for 5,000 meters, joining
George (2022), Samuel Abdellatif (2018), Clydarius Everett (2016) and
Kwame Jackson (2011).
Gillespie's time of 16:47.54 led XULA and placed him 33rd out of 73 runners
in the University of New Orleans Opener at Lake Oaks Park.
This was XULA's first meet of 2023 and one of four in September.
George's time at this meet a year
ago was 16:56.49. Friday he beat that, placing 34th in 16:48.62.
In team scoring the Gold Rush placed
sixth out of eight schools. XULA, a longtime NAIA member, scored 175 points and finished
ahead of NCAA Division I members Southeastern Louisiana (179) and Southern (191).
XULA's other runners were
Zachery Williams, 36th in 16:49.20;
Skyler Madison, 49th in 18:07.08; and
Damoy Boyd, 67th in 20:41.47.
Tulane had six of the eight fastest men
and scored 20 points to repeat as team champion. UNO was second with 47 points, and
LSU was third with 67.
The Green Wave's Bradley Makuvire won in 14:39.78, nearly 23 seconds better than runner-up
and teammate Jack Jennings. Makuvire was second in this race in 2022.
When the race started at 6:45 p.m. CDT it was partly cloudy, 88 degrees, heat index 98,
humidity 63 percent and wind from the southeast at 7 mph.
XULA's men and women will compete in the
Loyola (New Orleans) Triangular next Friday morning in suburban Marrero, La.
