Men's Cross Country | September 5, 2026

MACON, Ga. – The Clayton State cross country teams kicked off the 2026 season with the Julius Johnson Invitational at the Georgia Premiere Cross Country course on Saturday morning.  The men finished fourth with 110 points while the ladies finished in fifth.  The meet host, Mercer, finished on top of the podium in both the men's and women's races. 
 
MEN'S TEAM
The Lakers saw five of their six runners finish in the top 40 overall lead by Mykell Strickland who finished in 21^st with a time of 21:06.18.  This is Strickland's first time in his career to finish on top on the team.  He was followed by Dion Dial and Aiden Frye.  Dial clocked the 22^nd fastest time in the race finishing in 21:14.19 while Frye, in his collegiate debut, finished with a time of 21:46.26. Nehemiah Horton and Josh Soluade round out the top five with times of 22:01.37 and 22:34.70, respectively. 
 
Below is the full list of Laker runners at this meet:
21^st: Mykell Strickland: 21:06.18
22^nd: Dion Dial: 21:14.19
29^th: Aiden Frye: 21:46.26
37^th: Nehemiah Horton: 22:01.37
40^th: Josh Soluade: 22:34.70
42^nd: Miles Johnson: 22:57.02
 
WOMEN'S TEAM
The Lakers, on the women's side, were led by senior Ahlana Failey.  Failey finished in 25^th with a time of 22:24.63.  India Williamson then finished in 26^th with the same time as Failey, 22:24.63.  In their Laker debuts, Gisele Cabrera and Jamea Lindley clocked times of 22:31.63 and 22:36.64, respectively. Cabrera placed in 27^th while Lindley clocked the 29^th fastest time.  Maleena Castillo rounds out the top five finishers for the Lakers as she raced across the finish line in 22:40.13, placing 33^rd. 
 
Below is a list of all Laker runners in this meet:
25^th: Ahlana Failey: 22:24.63
26^th: India Williamson: 22.24.63
27^th: Gisele Cabrera: 22:31.63
29^th: Jamea Lindley: 22:36.64
33^rd: Maleena Castillo: 22:40.13
54^th: Amaya Myers: 24:42.64
63^rd: Juana Gonzales-Cervantes: 28:40.65
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Lakers travel north to Oakwood to compete in the UNG XC Invitational on Friday, September 18^th.  The men race at 5:45 p.m. while the women compete at 6:30 p.m. Please visit claytonstatesports.com for more information.