Another XU record, this time for Fakler at LSU Invitational

Catherine Fakler

BATON ROUGE, La. — Xavier University of Louisiana's Catherine Fakler ran 6,000 meters in 24 minutes, 10.3 seconds Saturday to break a 3-year-old school record and finish 16th out of 76 runners in the LSU Invitational cross country meet.

Fakler, a freshman, broke Ebony Harding's school mark of 24:41.13 set Oct. 11, 2008, in the University of Dallas Invitational at Irving, Texas.

Also exceeding Harding's record was XU freshman Zahri Jackson, who placed 17th in 24:14.4. Jackson broke the XU record for 4,000 meters on Sept. 1 and the 5K record Sept. 10. Fakler and Jackson are the first XU females to finish in the top 20 at LSU's meet.

The Gold Nuggets scored 128 points to tie for fourth place with NCAA Division I member Louisiana-Lafayette. Ten schools scored. XU's women have placed in the top half of all four meets this season.

 Zahri Jackson

This was the Nuggets' highest team finish at LSU, too. A year ago the Gold Nuggets were 11th out of 12 schools in this meet.

In the 8,000-meter men's race, XU's Matt Pieri was 29th out of 97 runners in 29:18.5, and Kwame Jackson, Zahri's brother, was 32nd in 29:25.3. The Gold Rush scored 229 points to finish seventh out of 13 college teams and eighth out of 14 overall.

Individual winners were LSU's Laura Carleton, who is redshirting and ran unattached, in 21:04.4 in the women's race, and Houston's Baptist's Matt Perri in 26:59.9 in the men's. Team champions were LSU's women with 19 points and Miami of Ohio's men with 32.

Xavier's next meet will be the Gulf Coast Stampede at Pensacola, Fla., next Saturday morning. The women's 5K will start at 7:30, followed by the men's 8K at 8.

Results:  Men    Women

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS