University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Early Bird Opener
Trio Open the Season with Top-10 Finishes at Beaumont
9/1/2023 8:53:00 PM | Cross Country
Peyton Chiasson placed sixth on the men’s side, while Haley Salsbury paced the women in seventh place
BEAUMONT, Texas - The Louisiana cross country team got off to a fast start to the 2023 season on Friday, September 1, with three runners finishing in the top 10 at the Early Bird Opener in Beaumont, Texas.  Â
Peyton Chaisson led the men's side with a sixth-place finish in 18:02.47, while Haley Salsbury's 14:18.25 was good enough for seventh place. Not far behind her was teammate Caroline Spalitta in 10th with a time of 14:29.03.Â
FULL RESULTS
Five other women finished in the top 20 for the Cajuns in the five-team event, including host school Lamar, McNeese State, Northwestern State, and Houston. Abbey Marie Ratcliff took home 14th after finishing in 14:37.70. Freshman Ella Segura's 14:44.33 placed her 16th, while Brooke Spalitta's 14:48.39 was good enough for 18th.Â
The Cajun men saw two in the top 20 following Chaisson. John Walker McDonald finished 15th with a time of 18:37.49 and behind him in 18th was Mason Haley (18:48.11). Owen Tauzin took home 22nd in 19:02.40 while Andrew Leck's 24th-place (19:04.10) finish capped off the scoring for the Cajuns.Â
The women finished third as a team with 60 points, behind McNeese State (45) and Houston (46). Meanwhile, the men were fourth with 78 points as Houston claimed first with 30. Individually, Claire Meyer (13:30.36) of Houston and Omer El-Fadl (17:30.70) took home first-place honors.Â
Next up for the Cajuns is a trip to Huntsville, Alabama for the Southern Showcase on September 15 with the race slated to start at 8:30 a.m.Â
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Players Mentioned
