VALLEY, Ala. - The Columbus State University men's cross country team won its first meet of the season on Saturday, capturing the team title at the eight-team field Skyhawk Valley Collegiate in Valley, Ala.

Led by four Cougars inside the top five, CSU dominated the race. The Cougars had 24 points to run away from Bryan College (61) and Bethune-Cookman University (61) for the victory.

Blake Lewis (26:28.4) paced the group of Cougars in the 8k with a second place finish. Lewis was joined in the top-five by his teammates Aidan Rush (26:32.0), Savian Taylor (26:35.8) and Elijah Sires (26:48.3). Nicholas Phillips (27:33.8, 10th) also grabbed a top-10 finish.

The Lady Cougars also had a great showing on Saturday in their 5k race. Columbus State finished third with 62 points, but the field also included DI Georgia State University. GSU won the meet with a team score of 48.

Shanya Washington, who was named the Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Week earlier in the year, just missed breaking the tape first on Saturday. Washington finished second with a time of 18:02.6. Kat Valenta (18:48.1) joined her teammate in the top-10 with a sixth-place showing. 

Columbus State will have a couple of weeks off before competing in the UAH Chargers Cross County Invite on Saturday, Oct. 22. 

Full CSU Results
Men - 8k
2. Blake Lewis - 26:28.4
3. Aidan Rush - 26:32.0
4. Savian Taylor - 26:35.8
5. Elijah Sires - 26:48.3
10. Nicholas Phillips - 27:33.8
11. Mark Ravenscraft - 27:35.3
18. Logan Fisher - 28:109.1
20. Kaleb Horvath - 28:46.2
22. Andrew Guillory - 29:01.0
25. McDonald Tandoh - 29:03.1
26. Reese Pasley - 29:06.9
34. Owen Hartshorn- 29:47.6

Women - 5k
2. Shanya Washington - 18:02.6
6. Kat Valenta - 18:48.1
12. Cynthia Lopez-Jordan - 19:11.3
16. Royal DeLay - 19:34.2
26. Kaeleigh Brooks - 19:57.6
30. Alesia Johnson - 20:28.9
31. Emily Marin - 20:44.7