HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Led by record-breaking runs from JJ Ramey and Noel Lopez, the MSU Denver men's cross country team finished a strong seventh Saturday in a loaded 45-team field at the Chargers Invitational.
 
Ramey finished sixth among 430 runners with an 8-kilometer time of 24 minutes, 24.80 seconds while Lopez was 10^th in 24:34.80. Both broke the program's 8K cross country record of 24:35.0 run by Jacob Link on Oct. 26, 2019.
 
"It was a great day for our front runners," said Amanda Rego, MSU Denver's associate head coach. "JJ and Noel finally breaking the school record was a huge accomplishment. They've been chasing that for a while, and have both worked really hard to see such massive improvements."
 
The Roadrunners finished behind three nationally-ranked teams as well as two unranked teams that are in the top five of their region, and finished ahead of one nationally-ranked team, No. 25 Mississippi College.
 
Not to be overshadowed, the MSU Denver women also had a strong day, led by a 10^th-place finish from Mia Salas to place eighth in another high-quality field of 41. Only the five nationally-ranked teams in the field, plus two regionally-ranked teams, fared better, and the Roadrunners beat two teams in the top five of their respective regions.
 
Salas ran 5K in 17:53.40, while Abi Read placed 23^rd in 18:07.10 and senior transfer Taylor Engram returned to her old stomping grounds to finish 54^th among 355 racers in 18:40.90.
 
"Mia and Abi had really strong performances," Rego said. "I knew they were capable of finishing near the front, and they got out hard and executed well.

"Taylor really stepped up as our third, and overall our second pack is making strides, but we still have to keep working on closing that gap as we head into championship season."
 
Caitlin Cornell was 63^rd in 18:49.30 and Audrynn Street was 106^th in 19:22.60.
 
Behind Ramey and Lopez in the men's race, Jonathan Duran was 39^th in 25:03.60, Brenden Sands was 46^th in 25:12.10, and Jordan Duran was 81^st in 25:30.80.
 
"The rest of our guys all ran huge personal bests, and Jonathan Duran ran gutsy and was a strong third runner for us," Rego said. "Although we still have a gap to close, I really believe this group is ready to peak at the right time."