Firebirds Compete at DSU Hornet Invitational
SMYRNA, DE - With the Cross Country season closing in on the championship meet, the University of the District of Columbia competed at the DSU Hornet 5K Invitational on Saturday to sharpen up for the upcoming East Coast Conference Championships.
The Firebirds were once again led by junior KayTiarra Johnson who finished 18th of 51 competitors with a time of 22:44, not far off her season best. Next up was Simone Grant who was returning from an early season setback to finish 34th with a time of 24:24. The next finisher was Rachel German who ran another season best of 24:29 to finish 35th overall. Rounding out the Firebirds' top-5 were Jerily Benjamin, who finished 38th with a time of 24:54, and Geordinell Thurston, 42nd in 25:51.
According to head coach Alton McKenzie, it was important for the Firebirds to get back in race shape since their most recent scheduled meet was cancelled.
"We hadn't competed for a long time, so we needed to get a race in prior to the ECC Championship Meet," McKenzie said. "We're looking forward to closing out the Cross Country season on a high note at the Conference Championship."
Next up, the Firebirds will travel to Brookville, NY for the ECC Championships on Saturday, October 24th.