Nashville, TN – In her first race donning the Red and White, Savannah Fruth led Austin Peay State University (APSU) in Friday’s Belmont Opener at Percy Warner Park’s Vaughn’s Creek Cross Country Course.
“I started out really, really quick, and I tried to maintain that pace,” Fruth said. “The course was great. It was very, very well kept. We had some great competition out here.
Fruth finished 31st overall in the 5k in a time of 20:22.36, as the APSU Governors placed sixth after totaling 166 points. Friday marked the first race for the Governors under the direction of assistant coach Tony Nicolosi.
“They competed really hard,” Nicolosi commented. “We’ve got a tough group of ladies.”
Mikaela Smith was 35th after crossing the finish line in 20:44.08. Sydney Freeman took 37th with a time of 20:55.36. Kerra Marsh posted a mark of 21:46.53. Lauren Lewis recorded a time of 22:00.76. Piper Barnhart and Hallie Mattingly rounded out the Austin Peay State University field with times of 22:49.20 and 23:13.49, respectively.
Friday was the first collegiate meet for Barnhart, Freeman, Marsh, and Mattingly.
“There’s a lot that we can learn from today, but this was a starting point for us,” Nicolosi said. “This should give us confidence that we’re going to dramatically improve and have one of our best seasons in a while.”
Austin Peay State University takes part in the ASUN Pre-Conference Meet on September 16th at John Hunt Cross Country Park in Huntsville, AL. The 5k race begins at 8:15am CT.
