NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee State cross country returned to action Saturday morning at the Michael Pretorius Invitational, with Landon Gragg and Jurnee Rutherford leading the Tigers at The Hermitage Cross Country Course.

The meet marked the first collegiate cross country competition held at The Hermitage and featured the TSU men competing in their first 8,000-meter race of the season. The women raced 5,000 meters.

Men's 8K

Gragg paced Tennessee State with an 18th-place finish, crossing the line in 28:06.54. The junior was also the first Tiger through the opening lap, sitting 10th overall at the early checkpoint with a time of 5:04.64.

Freshman Maxwell Myers followed closely behind, finishing 19th in 28:12.53, just under six seconds behind Gragg.

Delton White gave the Tigers three runners inside the top 21, placing 21st with a time of 28:32.57, while Aaron Davis crossed in 28:44.57 to finish 22nd.

Senior Eric Brannon, who finished second at the Legacy Series Invitational two weeks ago, rounded out Tennessee State's five scoring runners in 23rd with a time of 29:22.82.

Marcel Lake was next across the line for TSU, finishing 25th in 29:29.87, while Landon Thrasher placed 27th with a time of 30:05.23. Jayden Batts completed the Tigers' contingent in 31:19.97, finishing 28th overall.

Tennessee State finished fourth as a team with 103 points, ahead of Fisk. Lipscomb won the men's team title with 19 points, followed by Trevecca Nazarene with 52 and Austin Peay with 54.

Women's 5K

Freshman Jurnee Rutherford continued to lead the TSU women's group, finishing 21st overall with a time of 22:03.46. Rutherford was the first Tiger across the line by nearly two minutes.

Haley Blades was Tennessee State's second finisher, placing 24th in 23:57.78, while Justice Scott followed in 26th with a time of 24:23.77.

Maleia Ali finished 28th overall in 26:54.60.

Keaira Smith and Chelsea Knox crossed the finish line virtually together to complete the TSU lineup. Smith recorded a time of 29:14.86, with Knox just one-tenth of a second behind at 29:14.96.

The Tigers finished fourth in the women's team standings with 114 points. Lipscomb claimed the team title with 15 points, followed by Austin Peay with 59 and host Trevecca Nazarene with 68.

Tennessee State Results

Men – 8K

Place	Athlete	Time
18th	Landon Gragg	28:06.54
19th	Maxwell Myers	28:12.53
21st	Delton White	28:32.57
22nd	Aaron Davis	28:44.57
23rd	Eric Brannon	29:22.82
25th	Marcel Lake	29:29.87
27th	Landon Thrasher	30:05.23
28th	Jayden Batts	31:19.97

Women – 5K

Place	Athlete	Time
21st	Jurnee Rutherford	22:03.46
24th	Haley Blades	23:57.78
26th	Justice Scott	24:23.77
28th	Maleia Ali	26:54.60
29th	Keaira Smith	29:14.86
30th	Chelsea Knox	29:14.96

Up Next

Tennessee State will return to competition on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Louisville Cross Country Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.