COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Juniors Blaine Johnson and Lydia Peters were Chadron State's top finishers as both the men's and women's cross country programs finished 10^th at the Colorado Springs XC Open, hosted by UCCS at Monument Valley Park. 

The men's team finished with a team score of 251. Chadron State's six competing athletes ran 8K races in a total cumulative time of 2:21:19 and an average time of 28:15.

Junior Blaine Johnson of Sheridan, Wyoming was CSC's top male finisher in 47^th, earning 35 points. Johnson ran the 8K race in 26:51.1. Senior Kyle Shirley followed in 58^th with a time of 27:13.9 for 43 points. 

The rest of Chadron State's scoring five were sophomore Wyatt Bly (27:58.6, 85^th, 54 points), junior Miles Mitchell (29:33.8, 107^th, 59 points) and sophomore Adam Beard (29:41.9, 110^th, 60 points). 

Two Chadron State men ran season-best 8K times – Johnson, who best his previous best by 14 seconds, and Beard, who ran over a minute and a half faster than he had so far in 2024. 

CSU Pueblo finished atop the men's team standings. RMAC teams finished first, third (Western Colorado), fourth (Adams State), sixth (UCCS), seventh (Colorado Christian) and 10th (CSC) in the race. 

The women's team also finished with a team score of 251. The Eagles had seven runners compete in the 6K, finishing with a total time of 2:04.12 and an average time of 24:50.

Junior Lydia Peters of Sidney, Nebraska was CSC's fastest runner on the day, finishing in 44^th place and earning 36 points with a time of 23:55.1. Senior Alissa Wieman was next in 54^th place, earning 43 points with a time of 24:19.3 in her first 6K of the season. 

Sophomore Samantha Rodewald finished 66^th and ran a 24:54.0, earning 53 points three weeks after leading the Eagle women's team at the MSU Denver Invitational. Freshman and Chadron native Kyndall Carnahan ran a 25:20.7 and earned 58 points while sophomore Katelyn Beshara was 23 seconds behind in 25:43.2, earning 61 points.

Colorado State University won the meet on the women's side. RMAC schools placed second (CSU Pueblo), third (Fort Lewis), fourth (Western Colorado), fifth (UCCS), ninth (Colorado Christian) and 10th (CSC). 

The Eagles will now have two weeks to prepare for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Cross Country championships, which will be held on the Gene Torres Golf Course in Las Vegas, New Mexico on Saturday, October 26. The men's 8K race will begin at 10:45 a.m. while the women's 6K will start at 11:35 a.m.