Southwestern's men's and women's cross country teams competed Saturday morning, Sept. 23, 2017, in the Roy Griak meet, at the Les Boldstad Golf Course in St. Paul, MN.

Both the men's and women's races consisted of approximately 550 competitors. The Griak course incorporates some tough long and rolling hills that are not for the faint of heart.

The Spartan women's team was led by Heather Jessen, freshman, who finished in 300th place. On the men's side, the Spartans were paced by Jalen Two-Leggins, sophomore, in 267th place.

"It was a rather challenging day for us overall," said Spartan Head Coach Trey Bruton. "When you have the kind of heat and humidity we had on Saturday, it doesn't make things easy."

Bruton was hoping for a much better finish from his teams, but said he knew they put in their best efforts and said there were a lot of factors out of their control.

"I think the conditions and the jump-in distance was a big shock to a lot of the team," stated Bruton. "It is something we need to learn and grow from for the future."

Both the Spartan men's and women's teams are back in action Saturday, September 30, 2017, at the Dan Huston Invitational on the campus of Wartburg College in Waverly.