Lubbock, TX – For the first time this season, the Cougars full squad toed the line together, taking on the 13 team field at the Texas Tech Open. Led by freshman Alyssa Houston, the Cougars finished 4^th place on Friday morning.

An extremely hot and humid morning, the Cougars toed the line determined, eyes set to grit through the 6k course. At the gunshot, the Cougars elected to remain controlled and conservative, coming through the first mile just around the 6 minute mark. The strong pack of Alyssa Houston, Aly Wagner, Rachel Harpt, Kate Miller, and Lorelei Daugherty worked together, chugging along through the flat and fast course.

Calm and collected, the ladies executed the race plan, slowly bringing opponent after opponent back through the last 2k. In her first ever 6k, true freshman Alyssa Houston would shine, boldly making a move with 1200 left. Determined, Houston would close extremely well, etching her name in the top 10 with an impressive 7^th place finish amongst the 111 person field, finishing with a final time of 22:08.

Houston wasn't the only Cougar with a gutsy finish either. The familiar likes of Aly Wagner and Lorelei Daugherty hawked several racers down, finishing 11^th and 12^th with times of 22:28 and 22:30 respectively. Rachel Harpt turned in a solid performance, finishing 17^th with a final time of 22:45, followed by Kate Miller in 23^rd place with a final time of 6:16.

A team score of 69, the Cougars would finish 4^th behind West Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Fort Lewis. Only 4 short points behind Fort Lewis, the Cougars will continue to gear up for the cross conference matchup in meets to come.

Ava Ackley and freshman Ava Greenwell would close out the top 7, finishing 24^th and 26^th with times of 23:29 and 23:32 respectively.

A strong showcase across the board from the Cougars, they now look to the Lewis Crossover on October 10^th, an important race as they chase post-season hopes that slipped through their fingers last year.