LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (September 21, 2019) - Northern Arizona University's cross country program took the midwest and the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course by storm this weekend at the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. The NAU men placed four runners in the top-six, while the Lumberjack women made a big statement on the national level by placing fifth at the Invite.
Both the men's 8K race and women's 5K race were filled with top-25 teams from across the country. The field of teams faced a 250-acre complex specifically designed for cross country that will also be the site of the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championships this November. The course consists of an external loop of 3km and four internal loops that allows for circuits of varying lengths.
Northern Arizona's men's team entered the meet ranked No. 1 overall in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Coaches' Poll for the 23rd consecutive week. The women's team received 21 votes but sat just outside the top-30 prior to Saturday's race in Terre Haute.
On the men's side NAU amassed a total of just 31 team points to beat the next closest squad, No. 7 Stanford, by 20 points (51). No. 5 Iowa State (3rd, 66 points), No. 24 Purdue (4th, 70 points) and No.16 Indiana (5th, 165) would round out the top five in the men's race.
Junior
Luis Grijalva finished in third-place overall in the men's 8K with a time of 23:58.6, with only Iowa State's Edwin Kurgat (1st, 23:47.3) and Stanford's Thomas Ratcliffe (2nd, 23:51.0) posting better times. Grijalva, an All-American last season, has been no stranger to races against the top competition in NCAA Division I. With a patient and controlled pace he was able to make his way onto the podium for the second time this year after also having finished in third at the George Kyte Classic.Â
NAU would own the next three spots in the men's race with three redshirt freshmen going four, five and six. All three runners faced their first NCAA Division I competition in Terre Haute. New Zealand native
Theo Quax crossed the finish line with a time of 24:03.1 to earn the fourth-place spot on the individual leaderboard. Almost immediately behind him were
Abdihamid Nur (5th, 24:04.0) and
Brodey Hasty (6th, 24:04.5).
Nur, an Arizona state champion in high school, saw the McNichols Invite as a great indicator of where the three-time defending national champions are at early in the 2019 XC season.
"I loved running with my boys," said Nur. "We have a long way to go but it felt really good to get back out there against this kind of competition and I had a lot of fun."
Sophomore
Ryan Raff, the 2019 George Kyte Classic men's race champion, rounded out the scoring for the 'Jacks coming in 13th-place with a time of 24:26.1.
"I was pleased to see some of our question marks on the men's side answered," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Michael Smith. "The talent and training is there but we needed real situations. Abdihamid racing in his first national competition,
Theo Quax and
Brodey Hasty we knew all three were capable of the performances that they had. Luis is in some pretty heavy training right now and he was very patient in his race. Ryan also had another really gutsy race. All of our guys are going to be a lot better in a month and I was really happy with their performances."
The NAU women's crew earned 112 points; the only teams that finished ahead of the 'Jacks are four of the top-eight teams in NCAA Division I. No. 5 Arkansas (1st, 49) took home the women's title, followed by No. 8 Stanford (2nd, 54), No.3 Washington (3rd, 66) and No. 4 Michigan (4th, 75).
"A day like today for our women doesn't just happen overnight," said Smith. "It's important that we normalize this environment, being in starting lines like this that have us competing against the best teams in the country. It starts with believing we belong here. We want to feel that way before we head into championship season and we definitely started there today."
Taryn O'Neill, a recent transfer from Villanova, raced in the Blue & Gold for the first time this weekend and lived up to the hype surrounding her arrival in Flagstaff this fall. O'Neill would finish first for the Lumberjack women coming in at 13th-place with a time of 17:08.4.
"It felt great to finally put on an NAU uniform," said O'Neill. "We ran as a team today and we feel ready for this next leg of training leading up to Nuttycombe."
"Taryn is a tough athlete and competitor," added Smith. "She is still adjusting to our altitude training and she's had to be patient but she has been progressing well."
Senior
Mikayla Malaspina made her return to the national stage after redshirting last season. She would finish in 15th-place just behind O'Neill at 17:13.1, clinching crucial points that helped put NAU in the top five at the Invite.
Fellow redshirt senior
Miranda Myers also made her return after having sat out last season, running to a 26th-place finish with a time of 17:32.1. Junior
Pipi Eitel was one-millisecond behind Myers placing 27th at 17:32.2. Junior
Hannah Behunin rounded out the scoring for NAU coming in 37th-place at 17:43.0.
"Our women raced in this race they did not just participate," concluded Smith. "Today was a massive step in belief and courage. Most of all we had people leave this race excited for what will come next. This was just a launching point and where we will be at in a month will be pretty special."
The Lumberjacks will return to the course on Oct. 18 for the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis.Â
Follow @NAUTrackFieldXC for all the latest up-to-date information about the NAU cross country program.
