Men Hit Stride At Auto Owners Invite

In total, the Mustangs entered seven runners (five attached, two unattached) in the 8K event.

Collegiate cross country newcomer Marcell Houston (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) set the tone for the Mustangs by once again edging out a teammate at the end. Houston led all Mustangs with an 8K time of 29:16 to barely clip senior Anthony Butler (Lincoln Park, Mich./Roosevelt) after he clocked in at 29:59. Last week, Houston and Butler had equal times (24:16) in a four-mile race with Houston edging Butler in the standings by tenths of a second. Butler’s time was 23 seconds off the mark he set at the 2011 Spartan Invitational.

The pair were followed up by a strong supporting cast that included George Jackson (Detroit, Mich./Mumford). Jackson finished with a time of 30:28 to complete a stellar showing. Sophomore Robert Crockett (Detroit, Mich./King) came in just behind Moore at 30:47. Freshman Jonathon Rutkowski (Riverview, Mich./Gabriel Richard) completed his second collegiate race at 34:37.

Running attached for the Mustangs was Akil Prowell (Detroit, Mich./Crockett) and Anthony Ells (Midland, Mich./Midland). Prowell crossed the finish line at the 32:05 mark, while Ells finished with a time of 33:13.

“Marcell [Houston] competed strongly today in his first 8K. Marcell, alongside senior Anthony Butler, led the way for us this afternoon. This season will be a slow climb, but we will be in the mix competitively as a team as we continue to move forward this season,” 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).