HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Northwestern State freshman Karensa Ellis led the Lady Demons cross country team to perhaps its best performance of the season in the toughest field NSU has faced this fall at Saturday's Sam Houston State Invitational.
Ellis ran sixth in 19:20.45 over the 5k course as Northwestern took fifth in a 12-team field. North Texas won with 44 points, followed by Texas A&M (63), Sam Houston (72), Houston Baptist (94) and NSU 126 in the top five. Rice was sixth at 135, trailed by Louisiana-Lafayette (138) and Centenary (248). The Northwestern men were seventh, led by Josh Crandell's 28th place 21:30.90 over 6,300 meters. Houston Baptist won with 44, followed by Texas A&M (60), Sam Houston (78), North Texas (94), Tec de Monterrey (115), ULL (140), Northwestern (198), Prairie View (211), Lon Morris (244) and Centenary (271) in the top 10. Lawanna Perkins was the second fastest Lady Demon runner in 20:07.16, scoring 20th place. Allison Fontenot followed (23rd, 20:21.50), trailed by teammates Sarah Emory (29th, 20:30.68), Andrea Warren (48th, 21:35.48), Courtney Hershberger (54th, 22:03.47) and Becca Meehan (59th, 22:53.71). Dusty Dischler ran second for the NSU men, taking 35th in 21:50.35. NSU's other finishers were Kyle Lessig (36th, 21:54.22), Cameron Mehl (47th, 22:34.16), Chris Lanier (52nd, 22:46.25), Breshon Williams (57th, 23:17.03).