Kent State cross country’s training cycle is now two weeks deeper and will last until the end of the month, and many runners are experiencing fatigue and soreness. 

“I think everyone’s just a little bit sore, a little bit tired,” coach James Croft said. 

Despite those obstacles, the team overall showed much improvement at the Spartan Invitational Friday, hosted by Michigan State. 

Out of 10 teams, the men placed fifth, and the women placed fourth. 

Junior Baidy Ba finished the 8-kilometer race in second place with a time of 24:42.

Last year, at this same meet, Ba finished 10th place with a time of 24:57. 

Croft was pleased with his team’s improvement.

“I think almost everybody had a better race here than they did here last year,” he said. 

This year’s freshmen class has impressed Croft through the start of the season. 

“I’m really happy with them. This is kind of the most mature group of freshmen that I’ve had in a while,” he said. “I was really proud of their effort.” 

Other teammates had a solid run as well. 

Graduate senior Trey Double ran a lifetime PR in the 8-kilometer with a time of 25:57 with an outstanding performance early on in the season. 

Croft was impressed with Double’s run. 

“He did it in a very calculated, methodical way, kind of moving up throughout the race, and he closed really hard the last kilometer, so Trey gets the nod on that one,” Croft said. 

Junior Lany Straub also had a great performance for the women today in the 6-kilometer with a time of 22:42, making her the first Flash across the finish line. 

“I liked her toughness and her tenacity. She held on throughout the race, and I think she ran her second fastest time ever, so really pleased,” Croft said. 

Junior Sydney Gallagher finished with a time of 22:54, joining Straub as the only Flashes to finish in the top 40.

The women’s team had five runners finish in under 24 minutes, with the three others being freshman Ella McCollom (23:27), junior Ariana Manos (23:35) and junior Sydney Miller (23:58).

Robyn Taylor is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].