Auto Owners Spartan Invite Recap

The Mustangs entered a total of four runners in Friday’s race (two attached, two unattached).

Leading the way in the 6K event was senior standout Shana DeVoe (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) with a time of 26:36. The pace was seconds off DeVoe’s time at the 2011 Spartan Invite last year when she recorded a 26:19 in the annual 6K event.

Also running attached for the Mustangs was Mercedesz Brown (Redford, Mich./Thurston). The freshman worked her way toward a time of 38:15 on a day where the course conditions were decent despite the overnight/early morning showers.

Running unattached for the Mustangs was freshman Diamond Easton (Detroit, Mich./Allen Academy) and new two-sport student-athlete (soccer), Jessica McClendon (Canton, Mich./Madonna University). Easton paced the unattached pair at a 32:12 clip. McClendon raced her way to a time of 33:06 in her first competition.

“I believe Diamond [Easton] had a strong outing considering her freshman status. Diamond ran cross country in high school, but her main focus has usually been as a sprinter. Mercedesz [Brown] continues to work her way back into competitive running after some time off. With training, I look for competitive seasons out of Diamond and Mercedesz,” said head coach LaCema Womack.

The Mustangs will continue training until their next competition on October 5th at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships (hosted by Calvin College).