Alex Tyndall has set greatness as the goal for his freshman season at Lake Superior State. The freshman cross country runner continued to impress at the season's first 8K race, the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, MI. On Friday, he finished with a time of 26:08.7, leading the Lakers for the second straight event.

"The fastest time for a freshman at Lake Superior State is 25:59 by David Mitter," Tyndall said after the race, quoting the time. "I want that."

The confidence, the belief, and the self-determination impress.

Tyndall posted efficient times at each kilometer mark, showing his ability to last late into the race early in his collegiate running career. It's remarkable to see from the freshman – high school cross country exclusively competes in 5K races. The Jeff Drenth Memorial two weeks prior was also a 5K race.

Yet, in his first college 8K, Tyndall held up very well, running his final kilometer in 3:28. That's right around the pace he established at the midway point of the race. His mile times came out to a 5:15 pace.

"I thought it was a great debut for Alex and several of our other runners at the 8K distance," said Laker head coach Matt Stith. "He's been training extremely hard and with great regularity. You can see the results. He was well prepared and able to execute our race plan very effectively today."

Stith was excited about the results from the men's and women's cross country teams. Noel Black finished the women's 6K run in 23:38.4. She improved her race placement at every major checkpoint until the finish, working her way from 166^th at the 1K to a 139^th place finish.

Black said, "I felt really strong. I took this race with a different approach. I was way more controlled and patient in the first two kilometers, then I used that energy to go for it in the back half. I could really tell the difference."

"We asked them to concentrate early in the race on establishing a rhythm and getting into a good spot in the pack that was sustainable for them, then shifting to a more attacking posture where you're spotting an opponent up ahead and focusing on running them down," Stith said.

Several other women's runners saw major improvements in their placement as the race continued, executing their team strategy. Izzy Yeoman picked up 20 places from the 1K mark to the finish, crossing the line at 23:55.8. Lillian Binger moved up 20 places from the 3K marker.

Their head coach was thrilled, and pointed out the support for each other throughout the race. From Binger's third place finish on the team to the tenth finisher, Nora Smoes, less than 45 seconds had elapsed.

"Our women's team did a terrific job of pack running in the early stage of the race," said Stith. "That's the thing that matters most to us at this stage of the season. Running great times is a bonus. We're excited about that. To see those this early is fantastic. But those are the result of great execution."

Birk Seagren delivered impressive, consistent results for the men's team. He finished in 26:37.2, with a steady spot in his pack throughout the race. A freshman, he finished just a half-minute behind his teammate, Alex Tyndall. Again, the Lakers head coach came away impressed with how his young team stuck to its instructions.

"We're very happy with the way that approach to the race, which we'd gameplanned – the guys did a great job executing that, top to bottom."

Stith's motto is to "get one day better every day." As his teams continue to grow and develop, the excitement builds among his runners. After all, growing a team has a lot in common with distance running. Consistency is key, and hitting your marks at every checkpoint brings tremendous results over time.

A lot to like for the Lakers as they return home to Sault Ste. Marie. They'll next compete on September 27^th in Kenosha, WI at the Lucian Rosa Invitational.

Follow the Lakers all season long at LSSULakers.com. For media availability, contact Matt Pocket, Director of Athletic Communications at mpocket@lssu.edu.