SMYRNA, Del. - Coppin State's
Tatiana Ogundeko won the DSU Hornet Cross Country Invitational in a time of 19:44 on Saturday morning at the Delaware State Outreach & Research Center. This is the first cross country individual title of her career.
A senior from Waldorf, Md., Ogundeko's winning time was the fastest of her career at the 5K course and she bested the next-closest competitor by 32 seconds.
"Going into the race, I kept in mind that I have to run every race like it's my last since I am a senior," said Ogundeko. "My strategy was simple. I was familiar with the course, so I kept my competitors in striking distance, then I attacked the second mile with confidence knowing that my adrenaline would kick in for the last mile."
The Eagles finished third of four schools at the Invite, placing behind Morgan State and Wesley College and ahead of the host Hornets.
Janee Quailes finished second for CSU in a time of 25:10, placing 11
th of 24 runners. She was followed by
Erykah Jerome (15
th, 26:36),
Cathryn Lane (17
th, 26:43) and
Jasmine Henery (20
th, 28:23).
Coppin returns to action on Saturday, September 21 at the UMES XC Invitational in Princess Anne, Md.
