By Ella Clark, TSU Athletics
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State men’s cross-country team overcame a lengthy weather delay and an altered race format to claim the team title at the Legacy Series Invite Sept. 11 at John Hunt Park.
The men’s race was originally scheduled as an 8K, but inclement weather halted competition with approximately two miles remaining. After a delay of nearly two hours, the race was reset as a 5K and run alongside the women’s 5K.
TSU responded to the disruption by placing five runners inside the top 10 and finishing with 32 points to secure the team championship. The Tigers finished 12 points ahead of host Alabama A&M, which placed second with 44, while Calhoun Community College followed with 47.
Senior Eric Brannon led the Tigers with a runner-up finish, clocking a personal-best 16:59.3. Brannon was the only TSU runner to break the 17-minute mark.
Freshman Maxwell Myers followed with a fifth-place finish in 17:39.6, while junior Delton White crossed just behind him in sixth at a personal-best 17:41.1.
TSU continued to pack the top 10 with freshman Marcel Lake placing ninth in a personal-best 18:08.3 and freshman Landon Gragg finishing 10th in 18:22.8. The five performances gave Tennessee State a scoring spread of just 1:24 between its first and fifth finishers.
Sophomore Landon Trasher finished 14th in 18:55.6, while aaron Davis took 16th in 19:17.5. Freshman Jayden Batts added a personal-best 19:23.7 to finish 18th, and senior Kylen Thorps rounded out the TSU contingent in 20th with a season-best 20:37.9.
The Tigers’ top five combined for a time of 1:28:52 and averaged 17:47 per runner.
Women Place Fourth Behind Young Group
Tennessee State’s women finished fourth in the six-team field with 121 points, edging Mississippi Valley State by four points.
Freshmen Jurnee Rutherford and Justice Scott led the Tigers with back-to-back finishes. Rutherford crossed 20th overall in a personal-best 23:51.7, while Scott followed in 21st with a personal-best 23:59.1.
Freshman Qiersten McClain was TSU’s third finisher, placing 25th with a personal-best 26:34.9. Junior Maleia Ali followed two seconds later, finishing 26th in a personal-best 26:36.7.
Freshman Chelsea Knox completed Tennessee State’s scoring five with a personal-best 30:03.4 to place 29th. Freshman Keaira Smith rounded out the TSU lineup with a personal-best 32:21.3.
Five of Tennessee State’s six women’s runners were freshmen, with the Tigers recording personal bests across all six entries.
Alabama A&M won the women’s team title with 22 points, followed by Jacksonville State with 49 and Calhoun Community College with 61.
Tennessee State will continue its 2026 cross country season at the Michael Pretorius Invitational on Sept. 26 at The Hermitage in Nashville.
