TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Texas Southern University men's cross country team placed five runners among the top 15 finishers to capture second place at the SWAC Cross Country Championships on Tuesday morning at Apalachee Regional Park.
The Tigers finished with 51 points while junior Jaxson Artisst led Texas Southern with a fourth-place finish in the men's 8K race, completing the course in 25 minutes, 25.6 seconds.
Artisst remained among the race leaders throughout the competition, passing the 5K checkpoint in 15:51.3 before finishing as the Tigers' top individual performer.
Junior Manuel Garza followed with an eighth-place finish, crossing the finish line in 26:10.1. Garza reached the 5K mark in 16:18.4 and maintained his position among the conference's top runners over the final three kilometers.
Freshman Aden Ortega continued the Tigers' strong showing with an 11th-place finish in 26:28.5. Fellow freshman Leonardo Campos followed closely behind, finishing 13th in 26:33.2.
Senior Jeremiah Barrera completed Texas Southern's five-runner scoring lineup with a 15th-place finish in 26:59.6.
Junior Roberto Rodriguez added another solid performance, finishing 16th overall with a time of 27:04.5.
Texas Southern's five scoring runners were separated by just 1 minute, 34 seconds, producing a team average of 26:19.4. All six competitors placed among the top 16 runners.
TEXAS SOUTHERN INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
| Place |
Athlete |
Class |
Time |
| 4 |
Jaxson Artisst |
Jr. |
25:25.6 |
| 8 |
Manuel Garza |
Jr. |
26:10.1 |
| 11 |
Aden Ortega |
Fr. |
26:28.5 |
| 13 |
Leonardo Campos |
Fr. |
26:33.2 |
| 15 |
Jeremiah Barrera |
Sr. |
26:59.6 |
| 16 |
Roberto Rodriguez |
Jr. |
27:04.5 |
