MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Junior Evan Ortiz (McDonough, Ga.) continued his dominant season as he led Clayton State men's cross country for the fifth straight outing as the Lakers finished 11-of-18 at the Bobcat Invitational on Saturday, October 20. As a team, they finished with 333 points.
 
Ortiz delivered a 52-of-162 performance as he ran the 8k in a time of 26:59.60 but was pushed by senior T.J. Witherspoon (Thomasville, Ga.) who came in in 55^th with a mark of 27:06.05. Senior Ryan Polk (Marietta, Ga.) was the next highest finisher for the Lakers as he posted a 65^th place finish (27:37.10).
 
Sophomores Na'im Allen (McDonough, Ga.) and Zach Czerniak (Suwanee, Ga.) rounded out the effort as they finished 80^th and 81^st, respectively. Allen cleared the distance in 29:21.20 while Czerniak wasn't far off that pace at 29:26.00.
 
UNC Pembroke won the race with 59 points and was followed by Alabama-Huntsville (71), Augusta (80), Montevallo (106) and Tampa (110) to round out the top five.
 
Clayton State is now off until the 2018 Peach Belt Conference Championship on Saturday, November 3. That meet will be hosted by Augusta in Beech Island, South Carolina.
 
Clayton State Finishers at Bobcat Invitational
Evan Ortiz – 52-of-162 (26:59.60)
T.J. Witherspoon – 55-of-162 (27:06.05)
Ryan Polk – 65-of-162 (27:37.10)
Na'im Allen – 80-of-162 (29:21.20)
Zach Czerniak – 81-of-162 (29:26.00)
 

Men's and Women's Cross Country Senior Day