Puertas Earns 11th at the Royals Cross Country Challenge

Charlotte, N.C.– The King University Cross Country team went to the Royals Cross Country Challenge with multiple top teams in the conference and region. Mario Ruda Puertas stood out again for King with a top 15 finish in the Men's Golf race.
 
Men's Team:
 
Puertas led the Tornado with a time of 24:39.9 for his first all-out racing 8k of the season. He was the third-best in the Conference Carolinas. With this time, he also broke the school record.
 
Cole Johnson was the second Tornado athlete to cross the finish line with a season-best time of 25:48.2 in 80^th place.
 
Spencer Utsey and Lance Hatcher were the third and fourth King athletes with times of 26:32.5 and 27:02.8, respectively. Utsey finished in 135^th place, and Hatcher finished in 167^th.
 
The King team finished in 18^th place overall with an average 8k time of 26:24 for the top five athletes.
 
Women's Team:
 
The team had Alexis LaDuc lead the way with a time of 20:16.6 in the 5k with a 43^rd-place finish. Ermay Vazquez was right behind her with a time of 20:44.3 and finished in 55^th place.
 
Kailee-Ann Conner was the third-best King athlete, finishing in 72^nd place with a time of 21:16.6.
 
The team finished 12^th overall, with an average time of 21:52 for the top five.
 
Up Next: The Tornado will now set their eyes on the postseason, with the first race coming on Saturday, November 7^th at the Conference Carolinas Championships.