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Three was the magic number for the Southeastern Louisiana University men’s cross country team as Bradley Makuvire won his third straight race while the Lions finished third out of 23 teams Saturday during the Watson Invitational at Choctaw Trails in Clinton hosted by Mississippi College.

Makuvire, a sophomore, is off to an unbelievable start with victories at the season-opening LSU Invitational, the Nicholls Invitational and Saturday’s 8k race.

“Bradley was extremely impressive today and the future remains bright for him,” said SLU cross country head coach Corey Mistretta. “As a whole, I am excited about where both teams are at this point in the training plan. I know they are all looking forward to the continued work they can put in as we prepare for the conference championship”

Makuvire, a Zvishavane, Zimbabwe native, dominated the field of 175 runners Saturday finishing in 23:50.8, over a minute ahead of the rest of the field. The two-time Southland Athlete of the Week, however, remains humble despite his early season dominance.

“We always give thanks to the almighty God,” said Makuvire. “I also just had to believe in the work I’m putting in. All thanks to Coach Clayton (SLU Distance Coach Clayton O’Callaghan) for believing we can do it, Coach Mistretta for always pushing me to my limits and mostly Coach Reneker (Matthew Reneker – Mississippi College Cross Country Head Coach) for accommodating us during the hurricane but above all we still got a long way to go.”

SLU’s Noah Kipotrich and Julius Kemper also had solid showings with both finishing in the top 18. Kiptotrich placed 12th while Kemper finished 18^th.

On the women’s side, SLU’s Berni Tournoux was the Lady Lions’ top finisher placing 33rd out of 163 runners in the 6k race.

Saturday’s race marked the final tune-up as SLU heads to the Southland Conference Championships Friday, Oct. 29 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

PODIUM CLUB/S CLUB                                                         
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the track and field program are encouraged to join the Podium Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Podium Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern track and field program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

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