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SOU takes 9th in NAIA Championships By SOU Sports Information Updated: Nov 18, 2022 02:05 PM A A 3 View all photos Raider men, women find equal footing in Florida cross-country finale TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Isaac Fernandez repeated as an All-American and both the Southern Oregon University men’s and women’s cross-country teams captured ninth place at the NAIA Championships on Friday morning at Apalachee Regional Park. Led by Hernandez’s 28th-place finish, the Raider men put four individuals among the top-78 in the 326-person field. Sophomore Lauren Forster paced the Raider women in 55th place, helping them match the fourth-best showing in team history. SOU had landed top-10 men’s and women’s standings at the same national race only three times previously. The Raiders did it this time under unusual circumstances, starting the men’s 8K at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time and 8:30 a.m. locally. Fernandez, a senior from Yreka, Calif., still managed his best time of the season — completing the course in 24 minutes, 43.5 seconds to improve upon his 38th-place effort last year. Sophomore Lincoln Woodhouse logged a PR of 25:03.7 to finish 52nd, and freshman Logan Jones came in just behind him in 25:09.4 for 61st place. The Raiders’ fourth and fifth scorers, Zackary Alexander (25:19.2) and Jensen Salvatori (25:39.1), took 78th and 118th. The Raider women outperformed their No. 12 ranking behind Forster’s 23-second PR of 18:26.1, which gave her a 118-spot improvement over 2021. Alejandra Lopez passed 17 runners over the final thousand meters to place 83rd in 18:43.2, a year after placing 154th. Kayla Clayton (18:46.6) and Haylee Brodahl (18:48.8) came in moments later in 92nd and 96th place. Maya Smith (19:00.4), the Raiders’ fifth and final scorer, placed 112th. The finish marked a considerable improvement for both teams over 2021, when the men took 14th and the women were 18th. Dordt (Iowa), ranked No. 3 before the race, was an upset winner on the men’s side with 97 points. Top-ranked Taylor (Ind.) easily won the women’s race with five top-19 scorers, accumulating 50 points to second-place Milligan (Tenn.)’s 177. Lauren Forster, Southern Oregon University cross-country Isaac Fernandez, SOU cross-country