Friday, October 16
Clinton, MS
8:00 a.m.
Louisiana Tech University
at
Watson Cross Country Classic
Sawyer, Vining Lead Bulldogs In Final Meet Of 2026 Regular Season
10/16/2026 10:28:00 AM | Cross Country
The men and women combined for seven top-50 finishes with each team taking on a field of 200+ student-athletes.
CLINTON, Miss. -- Louisiana Tech's men's and women's cross country teams turned in strong performances Friday morning at the Watson Cross Country Classic, highlighted by a fifth-place team finish from the women and a 10th-place showing from the men.
The Bulldogs combined for 11 personal-best performances across the two races, with both squads competing against fields of more than 200 runners.
The women's team led the way with a fifth-place finish among 29 programs in the 6K. Kaitlyn Sawyer paced the Bulldogs with a 26th-place finish, clocking a personal-best time of 23:40.6. Sawyer improved her previous best by four seconds and now owns the sixth- and seventh-fastest women's 6K performances in program history.
Mallory Swint and Delaney Lopez each followed with a top-50 finish, with Lopez placing 44th in 24:12.9 and Swint 50th in 24:26.9. Brooke Fontenot recorded a personal best of 24:42.6 to finish 58th. Katelyn Bucci also established a new personal record, improving her previous best by 33 seconds.
The women's squad added several more personal-best performances, including Katelyn Bucci, who shaved more than 30 seconds off her previous mark, and Ersalee Unangst, who improved her best by 34 seconds. Swint also saw a 40-second improvement to her best time.
On the men's side, Louisiana Tech finished 10th among 29 teams in the 8K competition, with Brayden Vining leading the Bulldogs. Vining placed 42nd overall with a time of 26:29.7, finishing among the top 50 in a field of more than 250 competitors.
Freshman Joshua Daulton followed in 58th place with a personal-best time of 26:51.2, improving his previous mark by nearly 50 seconds. Arie Linton also recorded a personal best, cutting more than 20 seconds off his previous time.
Additional personal records came from Dillon Sanchez, Grayson Smith and Kaleb Weber. Smith recorded one of the team's largest improvements of the day, lowering his previous best by one minute and 20 seconds, while Weber improved his mark by just over 30 seconds.
With the regular season now behind them, the Bulldogs prepare for postseason competition in two weeks at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Foley, Alabama. The races will take place on Friday, October 30 at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve.
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Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Track & Field/Cross Country, follow us on X (@LATechTFXC), Instagram (@LATechTFXC), and Facebook (LATechTFXC).
The Bulldogs combined for 11 personal-best performances across the two races, with both squads competing against fields of more than 200 runners.
The women's team led the way with a fifth-place finish among 29 programs in the 6K. Kaitlyn Sawyer paced the Bulldogs with a 26th-place finish, clocking a personal-best time of 23:40.6. Sawyer improved her previous best by four seconds and now owns the sixth- and seventh-fastest women's 6K performances in program history.
Mallory Swint and Delaney Lopez each followed with a top-50 finish, with Lopez placing 44th in 24:12.9 and Swint 50th in 24:26.9. Brooke Fontenot recorded a personal best of 24:42.6 to finish 58th. Katelyn Bucci also established a new personal record, improving her previous best by 33 seconds.
The women's squad added several more personal-best performances, including Katelyn Bucci, who shaved more than 30 seconds off her previous mark, and Ersalee Unangst, who improved her best by 34 seconds. Swint also saw a 40-second improvement to her best time.
On the men's side, Louisiana Tech finished 10th among 29 teams in the 8K competition, with Brayden Vining leading the Bulldogs. Vining placed 42nd overall with a time of 26:29.7, finishing among the top 50 in a field of more than 250 competitors.
Freshman Joshua Daulton followed in 58th place with a personal-best time of 26:51.2, improving his previous mark by nearly 50 seconds. Arie Linton also recorded a personal best, cutting more than 20 seconds off his previous time.
Additional personal records came from Dillon Sanchez, Grayson Smith and Kaleb Weber. Smith recorded one of the team's largest improvements of the day, lowering his previous best by one minute and 20 seconds, while Weber improved his mark by just over 30 seconds.
With the regular season now behind them, the Bulldogs prepare for postseason competition in two weeks at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Foley, Alabama. The races will take place on Friday, October 30 at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve.
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Track & Field/Cross Country, follow us on X (@LATechTFXC), Instagram (@LATechTFXC), and Facebook (LATechTFXC).
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