Oct. 8, 2014 NATCHITOCHES, La. - Taylor Ashton finished first and the Louisiana Tech men's cross country team placed seven in the top eight as the Bulldogs cruised to a first place team finish at the NSU Pre-Conference Meet on Monday afternoon in Natchitoches.

Ashton won his first meet of the season, finishing the 8K course in 27:07.6, while three fellow Bulldogs followed right behind, led by Josh Pearce who finished second with a time of 27:10.8. Tom Stringer finished third overall with a time of 27:50.8. Anthony Plourde finished fourth with a time of 28:07.6. Rounding out the scoring with a sixth place finish was Tor Gatch with a time of 28:46.1.

Two Bulldog freshmen also finished in the top eight, as Hayden Schmitz finished seventh with a time of 28:51.6, followed by Kramer Jackson, who finished eighth overall with a time of 28:53.0.

"I was pleased with the efforts the runners gave in less than optimal conditions," head coach Gary Stanley said. "We placed four guys in front of the runner who won the Mook 5 just three weeks ago."

The Louisiana Tech women's cross country team finished in third place, led by Hayley Berg who finished fifth overall. LA Tech also placed two others in the top 10 as Hope Harris finished eighth overall with a time of 30:08.2, while Brittany McCrum finished ninth overall with a time of 30:42.0. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Techsters were Caroline Fontenot who finished 16th with a time of 33:11.8 and Margaret Williams, who finished 22nd with a time of 34:35.6.

The Louisiana Tech men and women are back in action on Oct. 17 when the men travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to compete in the Crimson Classic, while the women travel to Lafayette to compete in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational.

For complete coverage of Tech Track and Field and Cross Country, please follow @LATechTandF on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.