CLINTON, Miss. - The Louisiana Tech men's and women's cross country teams have wrapped up a weekend where the two squads split time between Alabama and Mississippi.

LA Tech's men competed in the annual Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday morning, while the women's squad traveled to Clinton, Mississippi, to compete in the Mississippi College Invitational at Choctaw Trails on Saturday morning.

Overall, the Bulldogs finished the Crimson Classic 8k with an average time of 26:58.20, while Austin Ballow was LA Tech's top finisher among more than 200 runners in Tuscaloosa, placing in the top 100 with a time of 26:03.3 on Friday. Fellow Conference USA opponent Middle Tennessee finished Friday's event in first place in a field of 26 teams.

Freshman Conner Killian recorded a time of 26:38.8 on the day, followed by Mason Youberg with a time of 26:55.5 and Drake Heinz with a mark of 27:26.9. Cameron Farris recorded a time of 27:46.5 on Friday, while freshmen John Barham (28:11.9) and Noah Elder (28:31.7) rounded out the top 200 for the men.

"We ran five freshmen, two sophomores and a junior on Friday in the biggest meet of their lives," head coach Gary Stanley said. "They will grow and learn from this experience. Kudos to Middle Tennessee for beating most of the SEC this weekend."

On Saturday morning in Clinton, Mississippi, LA Tech's women finished the Mississippi College Invitational in sixth place out of 13 Division I schools with an average time of 20:34.27 in the 5k race. Kacie Kaufman recorded her third straight top five finish for the Lady Techsters with a final time of 18:54.35 to place fifth individually, while Elia Nero followed close behind with a time of 19:15.65 to place ninth on the day.

Quinci Middlebrooks recorded a time of 20:45.84, while Brianna Hood ended with a time of 21:51.08 on Saturday in Clinton. Ashley Wingerter and Elise Bordlee finished back to back with times of 22:04.41 and 22:12.47, respectively. Macaila Bell and Hayley Berg rounded out the competition for the women with final times of 22:46.41 and 22:54.97.

Louisiana Tech's cross country team will now prepare to compete in the 2017 Conference USA Championships, which will be hosted by Southern Miss on Oct. 28 in Clinton, Mississippi.

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