Baylor XC’s Sugg, Walton Finish in Top Three at Texas A&M Invitational

[Coleman, Kellen]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – September 13, 2019

Baylor XC’s Sugg, Walton Finish in Top Three at Texas A&M Invitational
Women’s team placed second overall while men’s team took third.


For more information contact: Kellen Coleman, 254-749-6507, Kellen_Coleman at baylor.edu<mailto:Kellen_Coleman at baylor.edu>


WACO, Texas – TJ Sugg finished as the runner-up in the men’s 8K, while Lindsay Walton recorded a third-place finish in the women’s 5K to lead Baylor Cross Country Friday morning at the Texas A&M Invitational.

“I’m pretty impressed with the team from top-to-bottom,” associate head coach Jon Capron said. “They fought hard. We’re still missing a piece or two, but it’s nice to see everybody show up that’s here and race as hard as they can.”

Sugg led the pack from the get-go en route to a time of 24:49.3 in the 8,000-meter race, just shy of the personal best he set back in 2017 at the adidas DI Pre-Nationals. Ryan Hodge was next across the finish line for the Bears in seventh place (25:11.6), followed by Connor Laktasic in eighth (personal-best 25:12.0), Matt Henderson in 29th (26:31.8) and Cal Johnston in 32nd (26:42.7). With 67 overall points, Baylor finished in third place behind Texas A&M and West Texas A&M.

“TJ definitely elevated himself a little bit,” Capron said. “It’s the spot he should be in, so it’s nice to see him take that step. Ryan Hodge ran great. As a freshman to be up there right behind TJ is exceptional. Connor did well. He was hurting a little bit early in that race, but for him to hold on to where he was, I was proud of him for gutting it out a little bit. He can run faster, but it was good to see him get in what he could today.”

In the women’s 5,000-meter race, Walton placed third for the second time in as many races this season with a personal-best time of 18:13.2. The senior from Peoria, Ill., was followed by Celia Holmes in ninth place (18:44.1), Gabby Satterlee in 10th (18:49.5), Hana Marsheck in 14th (18:57.4) and Haley Everroad in 21st (19:28.2). The Bears’ total score was 53, giving them a runner-up finish behind Texas A&M (18 points).

“A&M has a posse, a ton of girls out there,” Capron said. “Three of them went fast from the gun, and Lindsay went with them a little bit. Gabby did too. Lindsay was able to weather it a little bit and kudos to her for being brave enough to not just sit back and watch but get herself involved. And kudos to the work that she’s been able to do to be able to make that move and hold it. That was really great to see.

“I’m proud of Gabby for getting in there and mixing it up. That was her first race, and it was a pretty aggressive start for her first race back. We know what we need to do for most of those girls. It’s nice to be able to say ‘Yeah, that wasn’t a bad start.’ We know how to fix most of the things that we didn’t do well. Those are pretty easy corrections. We know what workouts are coming up that will address some of those anyway. It’s nice to already have plans in place that are going to complement the corrections that need to be made.”

Baylor now has a three-week hiatus from competition before returning to action at the Chile Pepper Festival on Oct. 5 in Fayetteville, Ark., the second-to-last meet before the Big 12 Championships come to Waco on Nov. 2.

“We’re looking forward to fall,” Capron said. “Can’t wait for cooler weather. I think that’s going to hit about the time I rest them up a little bit. It’s really going to enable these kids to push a little harder. When it heats up like this, it ends up being a factor. But I was really impressed with the way everybody competed today.”

For updates on Baylor cross country throughout the season, follow @BaylorTrack on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Kellen Coleman | Associate Director of Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-4049 | C: 254-749-6507

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