Endalow Takele’s fifth-place finish paced the Western Kentucky men’s cross country Saturday at the Tennessee Tech-hosted Golden Eagle Invitational in Cookeville, Tenn.

Takele finished the men’s 6K run with a mark of 19 minutes, 48.7 seconds. Julien Cuyeu crossed the line second for the Hilltoppers, coming in at 13th overall with a mark of 20:08.9. Taylor Scarbrough was WKU’s third top-20 finisher as he came in at 19th with a time of 20:25.2.

WKU men finished fourth behind Auburn, Tennessee Tech and Mississippi State. Southern Illinois and Tennessee State closed out the six-team field.

On the women’s side, WKU had three top-25 finishes. Savannah Ames led the way in 20th with a time of 21:23.0 in the women’s 5K race. Brianna Wolken clocked a 22:33.3 to finish 24th, while Morgan Kannapel was 25th in 23:01.2.

The Lady Toppers picked up a dual victory over Tennessee State, finishing fourth overall. Mississippi State, Auburn and Southern Illinois collected the top three spots. 

WKU will return to action Sept. 16  at the Commodore Classic in Nashville.