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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Players Mentioned
