RESULTS
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 7, 2019) – The Northern Arizona University cross country program opened up its 2019 season at the 39
th Annual George Kyte Classic on Saturday afternoon at the historic Buffalo Park in the Lumberjacks home Flagstaff, Ariz.
The men raced in a 4.5-mile run, while the women faced a 2.6-mile run. Sophomore men's runner
Ryan Raff took the top spot in the men's event with a time of 21:52.0. On the women's end of things, it was a battle to the finish line between junior teammates
Pipi Eitel and
Hannah Behunin. Eitel took first place by just milliseconds at a time of 15:36.6, with Behunin finishing in 15:36.7.
NAU typically races fairly conservatively at the George Kyte Classic, using it as an early season training session and rust-buster.
However, for the men the 2019 Classic would prove to be a bit more than an early season buffer. They are usually looking for mile times anywhere between 5:00 to 5:10. On Saturday afternoon the Lumberjacks found themselves in a men's race that had them going at roughly a 4:48 pace at the first mile.
NAU's toughest opponent in the men's race was one of the top distance teams in Japan, Tokai University. The team has been training in Flagstaff and has developed a strong bond with the NAU program, using Lumberjack Stadium as a practice facility for its own training.
"On the men's side we had an interesting battle with Tokai University which was really fun for us," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Michael Smith. "It was their first time competing in the George Kyte race and it was kind spur of the moment and it was great competition."
Tokai University may not be an NCAA affiliated school but certainly brought the best out of the Lumberjacks who competed. Tokai's results did not affect the NCAA Division I race results.
The Lumberjack men had five runners finish in the top-five, with the other five having been Tokai athletes.
At the end of the 4.5-mile race Raff averaged a mile time of 4:52.
"We have really been focusing on each other," said Raff. "The training is where it is. Being out on the course and being able to hold each other accountable and rely on our teammates is what gives us strength."
Newcomer
Abdihamid Nur ended the race in a tie for fifth-place with teammate
Luis Grijalva at 22:26.0. Redshirt freshman
Brodey Hasty was not far behind coming in at sixth-place with a time of 22:29.0. Fellow redshirt freshman
Theo Quax came in ninth-place with a time of 22:48.8.
Cade Burks (12
th, 23:02.6),
Mitchell Small (16
th, 23:21.3),
Jack Shea (18
th, 23:30.1) and
Beau Prince (21
st, 24:29.6) all ran attached to NAU.
Drew Bosley, an incoming Lumberjack freshman, raced unattached at the Classic but was able to come in at fourth-place with a time of 22:21.1. Another freshman,
Caleb Easton, raced unattached and finished in 24:55.3 coming in 23rd-place.
"The pace was really fast," added Smith. "It made the race a lot harder from the beginning, going at that pace was a tough grueling effort for our guys. It was good training because it was maybe a little harder than what our guys expected."
The women's team ran a very controlled race during the first mile. In the second half of the race the 'Jacks got moving and showed exactly why they were the Big Sky Conference's preseason favorite.
Miranda Myers was the third Lumberjack to cross the finish line in the women's race posting a time of 15:56.7.
Mikayla Malaspina came in fourth-place at 16:08.1. Both women made their return to the course at George Kyte after having redshirted last season.
Emma Sjolund was the sixth-place finisher for the 'Jacks at 16:18.9.
Cassi Land came in eighth-place running for a time of 16:34.4.
Junior
Jenna McCaffrey raced unattached and ended the race in seventh-place with a time of 16:28.9.
Tiana Bradfield and Meghan Van Pelt both raced unattached but were able to round out the top-10 with times of 16:42.9 (Ninth-place) and 16:55.2 (10
th-place). Incoming freshman
Sophia Roach got some valuable experience as well while also running unattached; she would end the day in 13
th-place at 18:05.9.
"Our women looked fantastic," concluded Smith. "We sat a couple of people that we anticipate to be in our top seven later in the season. We see the pieces and it is just a matter of time to put things together with a little more training. Our men's program gets a lot of focus, rightfully so; but building up this women's team over the past three years has been the behind the scenes project."
Northern Arizona cross country will return on Sept. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind., at the John McNichols Invitational hosted by Indiana State University.
