Lubbock, TX – The Cougars toed the line with a full lineup on Friday morning, posting a 5^th place finish amongst 15 teams in Lubbock. A hot and humid race, the Cougars were lead by senior Zach Vance who finished 10^th individually.

A historically fast course, the Texas Tech Open started quick, the Cougars lead by the familiar duo of seniors Zach Vance and Sam Schwarting. The two experienced runners would come through the mile mark in 4:54 behind the leaders, a large CCU pack following closely behind.

As the 8k race progressed under the muggy humidity, the Cougars along with the rest of the field continued to string out. A primarily flat course, the pace remained true through the first couple miles, each runner fighting to find a rhythm through the 2^nd and 3^rd mile. True freshman Braden Palmer showcased his ability, slowly but surely moving his way up through the field, with Clayton Ackley several spots behind followed by Asher Found, another true freshman coming off of an impressive collegiate debut.

As the final stretch began to shakeout, Zach Vance would come through sitting in 13^th place, closing extremely hard with his familiar 1500m pace, closing to finish 10^th among the 175 person field. Vance's efforts would garner the 8k time of 25:06 respectively. Braden Palmer would shine in his second ever 8k, finishing as the Cougars number 2 in 24^th with a time of 25:52. Sam Schwarting was less than a second behind, finishing 25^th with a time of 25:53. Clayton Ackley & Asher Found would finish in 34^th and 35^th place to close out CCU's top 5, running 26:11 and 26:12 respectively.

With a point total of 120, the Cougars cemented a 5/15^th place finish, falling to the familiar foes of West Texas A&M, as well as Fort Lewis.

The rest of the Cougar pack would close strong, with Jonas Teeter and Colden Welsh closing out the top 7 in 43^rd and 45^th place respectively.

Colorado Christian now look to the Lewis Crossover on October 10^th, a vital race in the Cougars pursuit of making yet another National Meet. A competitive meet with many conference and regional foes, the Cougars will prepare to make a statement in a historically successful race.