Friday, September 11
Natchitoches, La.
W: 5:45 p.m. CT | M: 6:15 p.m. CT
Louisiana Tech University
at
NSU Demon Invitational
Bulldogs Show Out With Several Top Performances In Friday’s Season-Opening Meet
9/11/2026 10:47:00 PM | Cross Country
Louisiana Tech saw nine new top-10 all-time finishes in Natchitoches on Friday.
RUSTON – Louisiana Tech cross country wrapped up their season opener at the Demon Invitational on Friday, ending the day with six new top-10 records for the women's 4k and three additional top-10 records in the men's 6k.
Freshman Kaitlyn Sawyer saw her first collegiate first-place finish in her first collegiate meet, finishing first with a time of 15:52.6, which is the third-fastest time in program history in the women's 4k. Following Sawyer was Delaney Lopez (16:25.0), Bailey Springer (16:59.9) and Reece Knowlton (17:11.0) to round out four of the top-five finishes belonging to LA Tech.
Along with four of the top five, the Bulldogs also saw nine of the top 10 finishes in the meet.
Freshman Joshua Dalton ran a time of 21:19.0, which was also a top-five time for his first collegiate meet while finishng as the runner up in the men's 6k behind Northwestern State's Andrew Kent (20:57.3). On the men's side, the Bulldogs saw five of the top-six finishes and seven of the top 10 in Friday's meet.
Kaleb Weber (21:27.4), Grayson Smith (21:39.9) and Zane Daniel (21:45.4) rounded out the top five for Louisiana Tech, followed by Brayden Vining, Dillon Sanchez and Cameren Williams who were among the top 10 in Friday's field for the men.
For the men, personal bests were set by Smith, Sanchez and Arie Linton. On the women's side, Brooke Fontenot, Katelyn Bucci and Mallory Swint also saw new personal marks in the 4k.
The Bulldogs will have a week off before competing at the Warhawk Invitational hosted by ULM on Friday, September 25. The meet is set to take place in Sterlington, Louisiana.
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).
Freshman Kaitlyn Sawyer saw her first collegiate first-place finish in her first collegiate meet, finishing first with a time of 15:52.6, which is the third-fastest time in program history in the women's 4k. Following Sawyer was Delaney Lopez (16:25.0), Bailey Springer (16:59.9) and Reece Knowlton (17:11.0) to round out four of the top-five finishes belonging to LA Tech.
Along with four of the top five, the Bulldogs also saw nine of the top 10 finishes in the meet.
Freshman Joshua Dalton ran a time of 21:19.0, which was also a top-five time for his first collegiate meet while finishng as the runner up in the men's 6k behind Northwestern State's Andrew Kent (20:57.3). On the men's side, the Bulldogs saw five of the top-six finishes and seven of the top 10 in Friday's meet.
Kaleb Weber (21:27.4), Grayson Smith (21:39.9) and Zane Daniel (21:45.4) rounded out the top five for Louisiana Tech, followed by Brayden Vining, Dillon Sanchez and Cameren Williams who were among the top 10 in Friday's field for the men.
For the men, personal bests were set by Smith, Sanchez and Arie Linton. On the women's side, Brooke Fontenot, Katelyn Bucci and Mallory Swint also saw new personal marks in the 4k.
The Bulldogs will have a week off before competing at the Warhawk Invitational hosted by ULM on Friday, September 25. The meet is set to take place in Sterlington, Louisiana.
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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