Mustangs Begin Campaign, Houston Excels

The Mustangs shot out quick to begin their season as many members of the team were out in front of the pack for a brief moment. The pace of NCAA Division I&II opponents eventually caught up with the Mustangs, but not before the team put on a great display to begin the season.

Sophomore Marcell Houston (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) entered his first collegiate race and experienced great results. In an exciting finish, Houston used his remaining energy to surpass senior Anthony Butler (Lincoln Park, Mich./Roosevelt) by the slimmest of margins. Houston and Butler would complete their stellar effort in 72nd and 73rd place respectively with shared times of 24:16.

George Jackson (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) shot out strong but lost his legs late. The sophomore finished 85th with a time of 25:22. Jackson was followed by fellow sophomore Robert Crockett (Detroit, Mich./King). Crockett, one of the Mustangs key returners, clocked in at 26:05 (90th place). Freshman Jonathon Rutkowski (Riverview, Mich./Gabriel Richard) came in 96th with a time of 26:55 in his first taste of college-level cross country.

“Overall, I am excited about the direction we are going this year,” stated head coach LaCema Womack. “We have to continue to work hard and get stronger if we want to achieve our goals this season. That said, I was pleased with the effort and felt Marcell did a great job of finishing his first race.”