Southern Illinois University
Live in Lou Classic
SIU Cross Country Posts Strong Performances at Live in Lou Classic
10/04/2025 | 5:27:00 | Cross Country
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Southern Illinois Salukis cross country teams turned in a competitive showing at Saturday's Live in Lou Classic, highlighted by several personal bests and a standout performance from Hannah Meiser on the women's side.
Ben Chance led the Saluki men in the 8K, clocking a lifetime-best 24:51.0, breaking the 25-minute mark for the first time in his career and finishing 55th overall in a deep Division I field.
Behind him, Brady Faulkner ran 25:37.1, followed by Will Foltz (25:48.8), Calen George (26:00.4), Drew Twyman (26:28.6), and Parker Davidson (26:47.9). Both Twyman and Davidson also recorded personal bests.
Head Coach Angelina Ramos says she is thrilled with how Chance and Meiser rose to the challenge. "It was a huge day out of Ben Chance and Hannah Meiser in how both competed and attacked the race with intentionality," Ramos said. "That's a lifetime 8K for Ben by 36 seconds and the first time sub-25, and a 43-second collegiate 5K cross country personal record for Hannah."
Meiser crossed the line in 18:16.6 for the women's 6K, improving significantly from her previous collegiate best of 18:59. Ramos said her performance reflected strong progress in fitness and focus.
"She was 16 seconds ahead of pace from where she was fitness-wise at this point last season," Ramos added. "It was great to see her put together a complete race this early in the season."
Ramos also praised Twyman and Davidson for their continued improvement, as both broke 27 minutes for the first time. While the Salukis battled through some lingering fatigue and illness across both teams, Ramos said she was proud of the effort.
"A lot of our men's pack was still recovering from some big threshold workouts, and half our women's team is sick right now," she said. "In spite of that, freshman Ellary Blakey raced with a lot of heart for her team and came within nine seconds of her lifetime personal best despite barely being able to breathe."
UP NEXT
The Salukis will now turn their focus toward building momentum for the championship portion of the season. They will take part in the Angel Mounds Invitational on Oct. 17.
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