NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University men and women's cross country teams had disappointing day at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, Saturday. The men finished eighth out of nine teams, while the women came in ninth out of 10 squads.
"We didn't get it done today," said head coach Doug Molnar. "It's disappointing and unacceptable; we have to get tougher mentally and physically."
On the men's side, sophomore Enock Langat (27:51.57) and senior Andre Braima (27:56.31) finished 28th and 29th, respectively. Sophomore Boniface Yator helped the Govs cause, finishing 47th with a 29:32.04 mark. Injuries and illness hurt the Govs tremendously at the Championships.
"(Freshman Konnor) Kessler didn't finish and (senior Antonio) Diaz didn't run," said Molnar. "(Sophomore) Evan Collins was weak from flu and strep throat and hasn't been a factor over the last few weeks because of illness. It's disappointing; we beat Tennessee Martin last week, and they laid the wood to us today."
The women didn't fare much better. Sophomore Janelle Avery finished 31st, pacing the Lady Govs with a 21:39.99 mark. Senior Shamai Larsen (23.12.79) and junior Tracee Gruskiewicz (23:15.03) finished 52nd and 53rd, respectively.
"It was extremely disappointing to finish behind Tennessee Tech and Tennessee Martin," said Molnar. "We've beaten them in the past. The course was under water, but that's no excuse. The conditions were the same for everyone. We were bad today, period. It's my responsibility to get them ready, and we didn't get it done."
