EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Six of the seven men competing for the Cougar men's cross country team turned in a personal record time on their home course at the SIUE Cross Country Open Friday evening.

"The men ran a smart race, which is something we have been focusing on in practice," said Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "It was very exciting to see their pack at the mile. They were where they needed to be and didn't get caught up in going out with the leader."

Junior Marc Amarillas turned in another stellar performance with a second-place finish out of 44 total runners. His time of 26:15 set a new personal record on the 8,000-meter course by more than 40 seconds.

"Marc was exceptional," said McAllister. "He fought hard the whole race and kept moving up."

Right on Amarillas' heels was sophomore Aaron Werths, who crossed the finish line in fifth place in a personal-best time of 26:37.

Both sophomore Campbell Walters (8th) and junior Shawn Dillard (13th) broke their personal-record times by over a minute, finishing in 26:59 and 27:11, respectively.

Sophomore Brad Walwer (23rd) completed the 8k race in a time of 27:50 with freshman J.D. Wynn (24th) right behind him in 27:55.

Also competing for SIUE was freshman Kilian Sottoriva who turned in a 33rd-place finish in a time of 28:39.

The Cougars finished in a tie for second place with Pittsburgh State as both teams earned 48 points. Saint Joseph's College claimed the team title by finishing just four points ahead of the Cougars and the Gorillas.

Returning to his alma mater for the meet was former SIUE standout Kyle Cameron, who ran the course in 26:39.

"It is hard to end our competitive season because we have so much momentum right now," said McAllister. "Of course, it's always good to end on a positive note. We will carry this energy and confidence into our training, the track season and next fall."

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