NASHVILLE — Tennessee State cross country showed grit at the Michael Pretorius Invitational hosted by Trevecca Nazarene on Friday, with Robert Hooper earning a top-15 finish for the men and Sydney McGee leading a tightly-grouped women's pack.

Men's 8K
Hooper continued his strong senior campaign, placing 15th overall in 26 minutes, 43.39 seconds to lead the Tigers against a competitive field. Aaron Davis followed in 40th at 30:27.26, while Delton White (31:20.20) and Devin Jones (31:24.32) worked together for 43rd and 44th. Freshmen Landon Thrasher (33:10.93) and Kylen Thorps (33:16.35) stayed close in 50th and 51st, with Zavier Williams closing the lineup in 61st at 39:42.68.

As a team, Tennessee State placed fifth out of seven in the men's standings with 136 points, finishing ahead of Lane and Fisk.

Women's 5K
McGee set the tone for TSU's women with a 38th-place finish in 24:50.90. The Tigers ran in a pack behind her, as Serenity Harry (25:19.18) and Quinn Hudson (25:21.13) finished less than two seconds apart in 39th and 40th. Madison Smith clocked 26:26.07 for 43rd, while Giah Thomas (27:17.47, 44th) and Kaymin Sales (29:00.19, 46th) added depth to the scoring effort.

The Tigers placed sixth out of eight teams with 179 points, finishing ahead of Fisk and LeMoyne-Owen.

By the Numbers

• 15 — Hooper's top-15 finish in the men's 8K.

• 30 — Seconds separating TSU's second through fourth women (Harry, Hudson, Smith).

• 6 — Scorers for both the men's and women's teams.

• 3 — Women finishing within 31 seconds of each other (Harry, Hudson, Smith).

• 2 — Freshmen (Thrasher, Thorps) who crossed the line nearly together in the men's 8K.

Up Next
Tennessee State continues its fall campaign at the UAH Invitational in Huntsville, Ala., on Oct. 11, as the Tigers look to build on their progress and gain momentum heading into OVC competition.