Trojans on top at first meet of the season
Masondo wins overall
The Colby Community College men's cross country team lived up to expectations Saturday in the first meet of the season with a first-place finish at the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational in Manhattan.
The defending Region VI champions won the team title with 73 points, ahead notable programs at Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Nebraska.
Sanele Masondo finished the 8K course with a time of 23:30.96, about 40 seconds faster than the runner-up. Mohammed Baghati (24:25.48), Kgadi Monyebodi (24:32.16), and Remi Chavenaud (24:51.49) also finished in the top 20.
In the women's race, Colby did not run with a full team. Emily Diercks placed 22nd overall and was the top junior college finisher. Her time was 1:48 faster than she ran last season.
The Trojans now prepare for the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., on Sept. 30 to compete with an estimated 80 college and 120 high school teams. They host the Trojan Invitational on Oct. 15 at the Meadow Lake Country Club.