Wallace State Cross Country Posts Strong Showing at North Alabama Invitational

FLORENCE, Ala. – Wallace State’s men’s and women’s cross country teams turned in strong performances on Friday at the University of North Alabama Invitational, competing against a field that featured multiple NCAA Division I and II programs at McFarland Park.

The Wallace State women’s team finished 6th overall, placing behind four NCAA Division II schools and one NCAA Division I opponent. Freshman standout Brookelyn Morgan paced the Lions with a 10th-place finish in 18:55.55. She was followed closely by Cadence Rivera in 12th (19:32.14). The Lions packed five runners inside the top 50, with Payton Ridley 41st (20:19.90), Grace Gosline 45th (20:25.79), and Rachel Matthews 48th (20:31.33).

The Wallace State men secured an 8th-place team finish, highlighted by a trio of top-50 runners. Tyler Anthony led the way, finishing 12th overall in 25:41.14. He was followed by Daniel Leija in 22nd (26:10.38) and Carson Masterson, who crossed in 44th (26:52.03).

Head coach Tony Crider praised both teams for their resilience coming off a short turnaround from the Memphis Twilight meet the previous weekend.

“This was one of our tougher challenges, given that we only had five days of rest after the Memphis Twilight last Saturday,” Crider said. “I am proud of how the teams handled the adversity. The rest of our races will be 14 days apart so we will have good training blocks before each meet. You don’t really get better racing, you get better doing different types of training instead.”

The meet was also a day of personal milestones for the Lions. On the women’s side, Rivera, Ridley, Matthews, and Ann Marie Land each ran career-best times. For the men, 11 runners, including Anthony, Leija, and Masterson, posted personal bests.

“Our goal is to continue to get a little better each week and peak in early November for nationals in Fort Dodge, Iowa,” Crider added.

Wallace State returns to action later this month as the Lions continue preparations for the postseason.