HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- Sophomore Ryan Kinnane and freshman Gene Coetzee led the Tigers to a record setting meet Friday morning at the North Alabama Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama.
Out of a total of 37 teams the men finished 6th and of 39 teams the women finished 4th. A record setting meet for the Tigers as each athlete set a new personal record (PR).
"Overall, a great step forward for both teams this weekend," said Aaron Kindt. "Really proud of the efforts as a whole and I thought both teams came in really prepared and competed hard."
Kinnane crossed the line in 23:58.82 to take 8th place individually. In his season opener the Andover, Kan. native ran a PR besting his previous 8K record from a year ago at the 2021 SEC Championship where he crossed the line in 24:23.2.
"Ryan Kinnane really set the tone for both teams by going out and taking the lead, pushing the race and hanging in there with that front pack."
Led by Kinnane, the Auburn men collected 221 points for a sixth-place finish overall. Following Kinnane to the line were sophomores Carson Bedics (24:30.01), Cooper Atkins (24:34.62), and Louis O'Loughlin (24:41.91) and freshman Joseph Perry (24:50.59).
"Cooper Atkins and Carson Bedics had steady races and Louis O'Loughlin I thought ran a great opening season race," said Kindt. "A guy that just came off a long track season in Ireland really came in huge for us today."
In her Auburn debut, Coetzee ran a strong race coming in 6th place individually in a time of 16:42.76. Led by the South African native, the Auburn women collected 125 points for a fourth-place finish overall. Not far behind was Junior Samantha Rogers (16:57.76), sophomore Hallie Porterfield (17:01.01), and senior Hannah Tarwater (17:45.71).
"Gene Coetzee ran a great race at the front for us and I am excited about her future," Kindt said. "I think she did a really great job running with a lot of women that have competed at the highest level in the NCAA and I am really proud of her."
"Hallie Porterfield and Samantha Rogers, huge runs from both of them," said Kindt. "Big breakout performances coming in in the top-15 in this field, very impressive."
Up Next
Auburn cross country travels to Louisville, KY. to compete in the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic held at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park on Saturday, October 1st.
2022 North Alabama Showcase
John Hunt Cross Country Course
Huntsville, Ala.
Women's Results (5k)
4. Auburn, 125 pts
Auburn Individual Results
6. Gene Coetzee, 16:42.76
11. Samantha Rogers, 16:57.76
13. Hallie Porterfield, 17:01.01
36. Hannah Tarwater, 17:45.71
60. Sara Pacer, 18:06.86
61. Hannah Thuss, 18:07.87
158. Hailey Marston, 18:55.80
175. Kali Holden, 19:04.98
188. Breckin Gould, 19:16.08
Men's Results (8k)
6. Auburn, 221 pts
Auburn Individual Results
8. Ryan Kinnane, 23:58.82
41. Carson Bedics, 24:30.01
48. Cooper Atkins, 24:34.62
60. Louis O'Loughlin, 24:41.91
73. Joseph Perry, 24:50.59
120. Isaiah Billingsley, 25:23.17
133. Benson Atkins, 25:32.75
137. Dustyn Lewis, 25:36.14
139. Ethan Snyder, 25:38.98
151. Mark Foster, 25:51.14
194. Trey Hurt, 26:30.55