Cross Country Leaders Excel at South Regionals

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Dylan Sykes and Emma Langlois, leaders of the Miami cross county program, concluded the 2019 season on a high note – with personal bests.

The one thing Langlois wanted to do this weekend was set a PR, and the junior did just that on Friday morning. As the lone female competing for Miami, Langlois cut nearly 90 seconds off her previous personal best, running the 6K in 22:46.6.

Sykes, the first of six Canes to finish for the men, crushed his personal best time in the 10K, shedding more than three minutes off his time with a time of 32:53.3. Distance coach Cody Halsey was proud of the way her leaders went out and competed against a talented field.

“I’m especially excited for Emma and Dylan,” Halsey said. “Both ran huge PBs and both beat more than 30 people, which is more than they did at this race last year.”

Three freshman not only made their NCAA regional debut in Tallahassee, but also their first collegiate 10K debut. Andrew Madden, Dillon Fields and Justin Rittenhouse accepted the challenge and didn’t show any fear while competing. The determination is something Halsey sees as a huge stepping stone for the young Canes squad.

“The 10K is a beast of a race and is different than anything they’ve ran this season,” Halsey said. “To have true freshmen out there, racing unafraid and with guts was really fun to watch. I’m really proud of what we accomplished today.”

Madden was the next Cane to finish with his time of 33:19.8, followed by Fields’s time of 33:55.1. Senior Matthew Wiefels competed in his final cross country race as a Cane, posting a time of 34:47.2, another Miami personal best. Rittenhouse was the third freshman to finish the 10K with a time of 34:59.8, while Samuel Fleischman rounded out the Canes performers, recording a personal best time of 36:40.7.