LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Northern Arizona University men's and women's cross country teams showed up in a big way at The Greater Louisville Classic on Saturday, as the No. 1 nationally-ranked men's squad won the event with another near-perfect showing while the women ran a strong race as well to finish in fifth place.

The Lumberjack men crossed the finish line with the top four runners of the meet. Matt Baxter led the way and won the event individually with a time of 23:10.52. Tyler Day was behind him by less than a second to place second with a 23:11.25 performance. Andy Trouard (23:27.89) and Geordie Beamish (23:34.92) rounded out the top four.

"The guys looked really good today," Assistant Coach Jarred Cornfield said. "We were a little unsure with how they would feel coming in, especially on a course that they would have to get out so fast, but then Matt and Tyler got out in 4:33 for the mile, and we realized that they were really rolling."

"We had four guys finish in front of a couple All-Americans, and doing that is no small feat," Cornfield added. "The guys were really able to do it off the strength of racing together and having a higher purpose, with it being all about the team."

Finishing behind them was freshman Luis Grijalva in ninth (23:42.19), Peter Lomong in tenth (23:42.30) and Ryan Wolff in 51st (24:35.72).

Also competing were Harvey Nelson (54th, 24:39.07) and Cade Burks (61st, 24:45.03). While they didn't factor into the scoring, it is important to note that the two finished ahead of many school's fifth runners in what was a dominant performance by NAU. The Lumberjacks won the event with a near-perfect score of 19 points and knocked off six other nationally-ranked teams in the process.

"Matt and Tyler were extremely impressive," Cornfield said. "I don't think there are many guys in history that have run that fast on this course before. Geordie and Andy ran phenomenal as well. Luis had a great race in his debut. He was the No. 1 freshman and beat some freshman who had high pedigrees in high school, so that was awesome to see. Peter worked so hard this summer and had an outstanding race and it really validates where he is at right now. Cade, Harvey and Ryan all had personal bests as well."

Furman University came in second (78 points) while Virginia Tech (117) finished third. Boise State (131) and the University of Illinois (146) rounded out the top five. It was the second victory in as many races for NAU, who also won the George Kyte Classic back on Sept. 2.

On the women's side, Paige Gilchrist confirmed herself as a top runner at the Division I level with a fourth-place performance of 16:46.39 as the Lumberjacks finished fifth overall (181 points) as a squad. Mikayla Malaspina came in 15th (16:57.49) while Miranda Myers finished in 32nd at 17:17.97. Kylie Goo (56th, 17:33.14), Pipi Eitel (17:45.34), Delaney Rasmussen (124th, 18:07.54) and Emily Roughan (131st, 18:10.94) rounded out NAU's top seven.

"They did a very good job competing today and finished a very solid fifth, beating some other teams that are really good," Cornfield said. "I think this was a great step forward for our women's program today, and where we are at at this point in the season."

Also competing today was Jenna McCaffrey (143rd, 18:15.80), Jessa Hanson (196th, 18:45.67), Jessie Williams (240th, 19:10.55) and Hannah Behunin (249th, 19:19.68).

"Today's team performance was highlighted by a great performance by Paige," Cornfield said. "She got fourth overall and the three girls ahead of her are some phenomenal runners with huge pedigrees including national championships, so for her to compete with those girls shows that she is entering an elite level."

"Mikalya had a phenomenal race as well," Cornfield added. "She was very gritty and raced really well. She put up a big No. 2 score for our team. Miranda was right behind her, and also raced very well. Pipi and Kylie were behind her and rounded out the top five scoring and really allowed us to be a great, competitive team. Our freshman girls got some great experience today as well against a top field that will prepare them for Pre Nationals."

Boise State won the event with 82 points. Wisconsin (107), Furman (127), Minnesota (129) and NAU rounded out the top five. The Lumberjacks finished ahead of some top-level programs, knocking off teams from Louisville, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia Tech.

The Lumberjacks get two weeks off from competition before racing in two prestigious events.

The men compete next at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, hosted by the University of Wisconsin at the Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, WI on Friday, Oct. 13 against one of the best collegiate fields in the country.

"Today's Classic is going to be great for getting these guys ready for Wisconsin in two weeks," Cornfield said. "There we will face even stiffer competition, some of the best teams in the country, and this is really going to help them get a feel for being in that type of field. They're very confident right now, and we're excited how they are embracing being the No. 1 team in the country. Instead of letting pressure get to them, they're embracing it and enjoying the current journey that they're on."

The women will next be running at The Pre National Invitational, hosted by Louisville University on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the same course today's Greater Louisville Classic took place. It too will feature one of the premier fields in Division I cross country this season.

"I'm really excited for them," Cornfield concluded. "We'll be able to come back here in two weeks for Pre Nationals, get some more workouts in us, be a little more prepared, be a little bit more ready, and then really take another big step for them this year."

Both events will be streamed live for fans to watch the race in real time by FloTrack.com. Links to the video for both events are available on the cross country team schedule page.