The Central Methodist University women's and men's cross country teams both finished fifth in the team standings at the Gary Stoner Invitational Saturday.
���
On the women's side, senior Lisa Scrivener (Peculiar, Mo.) posted the fastest time for CMU with an 18th-place finish in 20 minutes, 32.22 seconds on the 5K course. Truman State University's Karen Grauel won the individual title with a time of 18:03.86. Freshman Elise Schreiber (Jefferson City, Mo.) and sophomore Tabatha Leaton (Fayette, Mo.) finished closely behind Scrivener in times of 20:37.41 and 20:51.08 for 21st and 24th places, respectively.
��
"Lisa and Elise are very different runners, and they race so differently, but they always seem to finish together," CMU Coach Justin Herbert said. "They push each other and they lean on each other, which is helping both of them. Tabatha ran a strong race, and I'm sure turning in this performance today must have been a thrill for her and the home crowd."
���
Sophomore Amber Beaverson (Moberly, Mo.) finished 30th in a time of 21:17.48. Sophomore Richelle Perkins (Fulton, Mo.), junior Deanna Quisenberry (Holden, Mo.), and sophomore Taylor Beaverson (Moberly, Mo.) finished 35th, 36th and 38th, respectively. Perkins clocked a time of 21:54.71, while Quisenberry followed with a time of 22:02.96 and Beaverson finished in 22:26.11.
���
Junior Lucas Manring (Stockton, Mo.) led the CMU men with a personal-best time of 27:10.13 to place 19th. Manring's time moved him into 14th on CMU's all-time top performers for the 8K distance. University of Central Missouri's Laban Sialo won Saturday's meet with a time of 24:47.72.
���
"Lucas didn't feel great today, but I thought he ran a tough race," Herbert said. "He got out strong, he went after it, and he faded a bit at the end, but he's really starting to turn himself into a top-notch cross country runner."
���
Senior Josphat Sawe (Kapsabet, Kenya) finished 31st in a time of 28:00.45, while junior Daniel Simmons (Versailles, Mo.) crossed the line in 28:32.01 for 31st place.
���
"Josphat has struggled to stay healthy as of late, but he toughed it out and finished strong for us," Herbert said. "Daniel ran a fantastic race today. I thought he had the best performance of the day on the men's side."
���
Senior Anthony Kiprono (Nairobi, Kenya) placed 47th in a time of 30:07.56. Sophomore Reuben Bett (Eldoret, Kenya), junior Curtis Bedor (Siloam Springs, Ark.), and senior Morgan Matthews (Clever, Mo.) finished 54th, 55th and 57th, respectively. Bett clocked a time of 32:47.84, Bedor followed in 33:35.16, and Matthews finished in 34:32.37.
���
"Morgan has been injured and struggling with shin splints, and I wasn't going to run him today, but he eventually talked me into it," Herbert said. "I'm glad we made the decision we did. He's been such an asset to our team both in his work ethic and his attitude, and those things are invaluable."
���
The CMU teams will have next week off to prepare for their final tune-up meet of the season. The Eagles will next travel to Lamoni, Iowa, for the Graceland Invite on Oct. 23.