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HOUSTON, Texas – After opening the season last weekend at the Memphis Twilight, the HBU cross country team headed across town for the 43^rd Annual Norry Hersey Rice Invitational with a number of Husky runners improving upon their opening week on Friday evening.
 
Sophomore Stephen Aguilar was the Huskies' top finisher for the second-straight week as the men again ran a four-mile race. Aguilar shaved 40 seconds off his time at last week's Memphis Twilight for a time of 21:04.3 to finish 22^nd out of the 78-man field. Freshman Josh Moran crossed the finish line in 21:37.5, more than 49 seconds faster than his season-opening time, to finish 39^th. Enoch Ramirez came in just three spots behind Moran with a mark of 21:50.0 while Travis Jacobs posted a time of 22:55.9. Since only four HBU runners competed, the Huskies did not have a team score.
 
On the women's side, a quartet of freshmen were HBU's top finishers with Johanna Drews again leading the way with a time of 16:15.5 in the 4k race. Chandler Krueger was next with a mark of 16:23.4, cutting nearly eight seconds off her average mile pace from last weekend. Naomi Simei trimmed her mile pace by six seconds to finish with a time of 16:35.4 while Jessica Rabius came in next in 17:00.1. Faith Crayton rounded out the top five for the Huskies. The women placed ninth in the meet as a team.
 
The Husky harriers will be off for the next two weekends before taking part in the McNeese Invitational on Saturday, Sep. 29, in Lake Charles, La. which is the site of the 2018 Southland Conference Championships.