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SOU women first, men second at CCC preview By SOU Sports Information Updated: Sep 09, 2022 11:30 PM A A TALENT — Even without a couple of its top runners, the No. 16-ranked Southern Oregon women’s cross country team monopolized the top of the leaderboard Friday morning in the Cascade Conference Preview Meet at Colver Road Field. On the men’s side, SOU junior Jensen Salvatori broke up Eastern Oregon’s perfect-score bid and led the Raiders to second in the team standings. The race marked 10th-ranked SOU men’s season debut and first home cross country meet since 2011, comprising half of the 10-team conference and 43 total individuals. Salvatori placed fourth overall by completing the 8,000-meter course in 25 minutes, 59.4 seconds. SOU’s Kayla Clayton and Lauren Forster were shoulder-to-shoulder ahead of the pack for a majority of the 5,000-meter course before Clayton took off late for the individual win in 19 minutes 13.7 seconds. Forster was the runner-up in 19:19.4 for the Raiders, who occupied the top-four spots and accumulated just 18 points to second-place Eastern Oregon’s 64 in the 32-person field. Haylee Brodahl claimed third place in 19:54.2 and freshman Emma Baeth debuted in fourth with a time of 20:16.1. Their final scorer, Maya Smith, took eighth in 20:59.2. The race comprised half of the teams in the conference, which will converge in full at the same site on Nov. 4 for the CCC Championships. The Raiders were without Sydnee Kizziar, a two-time all-conference performer, and Alejandra Lopez, their third scorer at last year’s NAIA Championships, who are both working their way back from injuries. The Raiders, who were three runners short of their full team, got an eighth-place showing from junior Zackary Alexander (26:18.7) in his debut with the team. Returning All-American Isaac Fernandez (26:33.3) placed 11th, and freshman Ben Jordan (27:59.9) was their fourth finisher in 21st. The team’s final scorer, sophomore Asher Tatsumi (28:26.1), took 25th, and Luke Lucchesi (28:47.8) rounded out the lineup in 28th.