MONTEVALLO, Ala. - The Valdosta State cross country teams turned in gritty performances at the Falcon Classic, hosted Friday evening by the University of Montevallo. The women's squad placed sixth overall in the 5K, while the men's team finished seventh in the 8K against a competitive regional field.

The Blazers' women held their own in a deep race, finishing sixth with 127 points. Freshman Samantha Savinon-Rios placed as the top VSU finisher, clocking 19:59.95 for 17th place. Close behind came junior Alanta Lofton in 24th (20:18.31) and  sophomore Emma Burnett in 25th (20:18.45), finishing within a second of each other. Senior Anna Brown secured 32nd (20:39.11), and sophomore Ella Burnett rounded out the scoring with a 36th-place finish (20:50.33).

On the men's side, the Blazers finished seventh with 205 points in a highly competitive 8K. Sophomore Nicolas Waddell led the charge, placing 7th overall with a time of 25:56.06, just seconds off the leaders. Freshman James Wilkerson was next across in 33rd (27:42.37), followed by junior Caleb Tilford in 57th (28:54.53).

The Blazers will return to action later this month, heading to Tallahassee, Fla., to compete in the Florida State Invitational on Friday, Sept. 26.

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