The varsity cross-country Owls ran in their first race of the season last Saturday night, September 10, at the Twilight Meet, held at the Mike Rose Athletic Complex. With a strong effort, the Owls took second place behind Hoover (AL) High School in the annual race under the lights. Their finish was certainly a good sign for the Owl runners who are facing fairly big expectations this season.
Three MUS runners finished in the top 20 to provide leading scores for the team, including junior Ken Haltom(6th) and seniors Donald McClure(7th) and Hunter Adams(12th). Preceding the varsity’s race was the JV race in which the Owls took third.
The MUS coaches were satisfied with the outcome and were able to make many observations from the Owls’ first meet.
“We definitely learned a lot about our team from this race,” said Head Coach Joe Tyler. “The biggest thing is that we look like we’re in good shape for right now.”
Although the Owls were overall satisfied with their finish, Coach Tyler is still looking for more improvement.
“There are still many areas where we can improve, and we have some gaps that need to be filled.”
The Owls do not have much time to recover before they have to travel to Nashville for their next race. The Tennessee Classic will be held at the Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, September 17. Last year, MUS brought third-place back to Memphis in the Classic, and this season they are again looking to make a statement to out-of-town teams.
“The level of competition should be about the same as what we had to face in the Twilight meet,” Tyler said looking ahead to the Classic.
The Owls have had a tough week of practice, and the coaches are eager to see how the team will race on tired legs. The Tennessee Classic will also be significant for the Owls since it is the only time during the season that they will run at Percy Warner Park before the State Championship, held November 5.