FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Led by junior Javier Bustos Jaimes' individual title, the Francis Marion University men's cross country team captured the team title at Saturday morning's (Sept. 17) Monarch Cross Country Classic hosted by Methodist College.
The Patriot women placed third despite freshman Emma Driggers crossing the finish line first and earning her first career individual crown.
Bustos Jaimes finished the 8,000-meter course in 29:10.93 to claim a three-second win over second-place finisher James Maddox of St. Andrews University. FMU also edged the Knights for the team title by a 31-39 count, while Methodist finished third and Bluefield College was fourth.
Junior Jonathan Reid was the second Patriot runner to cross the finish line as he placed fifth in 30:03.31. Sophomore Carlos Oliver was sixth in 30:05.49, followed by junior Devin Nelson (30:14.87) in eighth position, senior Aaron Robinson (33:00.07) in 15th, sophomore Brandon Boggs (34:02.02) in 19th, and freshman Ivan Henderson (34:50.22) in 22nd.
Sophomore Robert Hahn (35:16.11) placed 23rd, while senior Jeremiah Hayes (35:47.17) was 24th.
Nelson was the last Patriot to claim an individual win when he placed first at the 2014 FMU Invitational Meet.
In the women's race, the host Monarchs claimed the team title with a 33 score, while Meredith College (60) was second followed by Francis Marion (72), St. Andrews (103), Bluefield (138), Fayetteville State University (154), and North Carolina Wesleyan College (174).
In her first 6,000-meter race as a collegiate, Driggers registered a 26:26.97 time to best the field by nearly 11 seconds. Her win was the first individual title for a Patriot female runner since Meagan Wright captured the 2014 FMU Invitational.
FMU freshman Alison Filer was 13th in 28:40.18, followed by junior MacKenzie Arnold (29:01.01) in 16th, freshman Alexis Byers (29:32.10) in 20th, sophomore Gabrielle Gosnell (31:51.25) in 32nd, senior Nicole Edlmann (32:14.95) in 34th, and freshman Jasmine Watson (39:57.94) in 49th.
Both FMU teams will compete in the Will Wilson Citadel Invitational Meet on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 9 a.m. on James Island, S.C.
