Tulane University
Ragin' Cajun Invitational
Green Wave Cross Country Sweep Ragin' Cajun Invitational
Sep 20, 2003 | Cross Country
Sept. 20, 2003
LAFAYETTE, La. - Tulane University swept the 13th Annual Ragin' Cajuns Cross Country Invitational on Saturday morning at Acadiana Park. It is the third straight win for the Green Wave men's and women's teams this season.
Freshman Bessie Hatch (Ojai, Calif.) captured her second straight title for the Wave women, winning the five-kilometer race in a time of 18:46.67. She also won the Southern Miss Invitational last weekend after opening her career with a second-place finish in the Tulane Invitational.
The Green Wave men were led by junior Philip Aagaard (Linkoping, Sweden), the top Tulane men's finisher for the third week in a row. He covered the eight-kilometer course in 26:54.97 to finish sixth overall.
"Bessie had another great race," Tulane head coach Heather Van Norman said. "But the difference in the race for our women was Lisa Green. She fought right to the end and passed a couple runners right at the end that she knew we needed for the points."
Green, from Marietta, Ga., finished second overall, covering the course in 18:51.47.
The Tulane women finished with 28 points, followed by McNeese State (53 points) and UNO (109 points). UL-Lafayette (112 points), Northwestern State (121), Nicholls State (123), Grambling State (170), Loyola (171) and Louisiana College (265) rounded out the field.
On the men's side, Tulane tallied 49 points, edging McNeese State, which finished with 70 points and UL-Lafayette with 82 points. Northwestern State (90 points), Grambling State (101), UNO (147) and Nicholls State (161) closed out the field.
Following Aagaard was senior Ryan Gallagher (New Orleans, La.), who took 10th place at 27:16.21. Close behind Gallagher was the tandem of freshman Tyler Chapman (Flower Mound, Texas) and Luke Hooper (Norman, Okla.), who placed 12th and 13th, respectively. Freshman Kevin Martes (South Easton, Mass.) closed out the scoring for the Wave with a 17th-place finish in the 62-runner field.
"I was really proud of our guys," Van Norman said. "This was their first 8K race of the year and they did a great job. This is excellent preparation for the conference championship."
Tulane's previous men's races were three and four-mile affairs.
Following Hatch and Green for the Green Wave women was senior Eva Lustigova (Liberec, Czech Republic), who took fifth in a time of 19:21.02. Junior Mandy Hopper (Charlotte, N.C.) finished eighth with a time of 19:46.51. Freshman Eva Gordon (Atlanta, Ga.) rounded out the Wave scores with a 12th-place finish at 20:05.59.
The individual winner for the men's race was former Green Wave standout Solomon Kandie, who posted a time of 25:46.36.
Tulane returns to action next Saturday at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La. Ragin' Cajun Invitational, September 20, 2003
Men (eight-kilometer):
6. Philip Aagaard: 26:54.97
10. Ryan Gallagher: 27:16.21
12. Tyler Chapman: 27:38.82
13. Luke Hooper: 27:45.73
17. Kevin Martes: 28:04.96
19. Dave Posnick: 28:13.72
28. Philip Romero: 28:46.36
32. Will Landry: 29:10.13
37. Brett Guy: 29:26.79
46. Mike Moore: 30:26.80
Women (five kilometers):
1. Bessie Hatch: 18:46.67
2. Lisa Green: 18:51.47
5. Eva Lustigova: 19:21.02
8. Mandy Hopper: 19:46.51
12. Eva Gordon: 20:05.59
18. Erin Colligan: 20:21.33
26. Lauren Swenson: 20:58.69
33. Sarah Szczerbicki: 21:19.50
