T-Bird Cross Country kicks off season on the right foot at the Mesa Early Bird Open

Saturday August 24, 2024 - 9:00 a.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

T-Birds Cross Country shook the rust off on Saturday morning as they competed in the Mesa Early Bird Open. 

Head coach Daniel Pescador is proud of his teams for their performance so early in the season.

The Lady T-Birds had a great pace to their team as they were led by freshman Kinley Jackson. 

"The women put on display how good they can be. Kinley ran a great race to finish first in 19:54. She set the tone for the group and they followed in close," said Pescador, "Lucy and Marissa kept pace with Kinley and finished close to each other in 20:07 and 20:08. We're in a good spot to start the year." 

The men were outstanding in their performance and they worked their pack mentality to perfection as their top runners were within a minute of each other.

"The men ran tremendously and had an amazing 58 second spread through 5 runners! Nick and Sebastian ran very well, and were the driving force to lead the group. They finished in 26:37 and 26:44. Parker and Corbin ran smart and stayed very strong throughout to finish in 27:16 and 27:32," said Pescador.

The T-Birds will be back in action on Aug. 31 as they will compete in the Lori Fitzgerald Invite in Las Cruces, NM & the NAU George Kyte Class in Flagstaff, AZ.