TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (October 15, 2021) - The Northern Arizona men champion the Florida State University Invitational after a star-studded showdown, while the women placed seventh overall. The secondary NAU teams also found success as the men also placed first and the women finished fourth in the open races.
In an extremely dominant performance, the Lumberjack's placed three All-American men in the top-10 as redshirt sophomore Abdihamid Nur (22:55.2) led the Flagstaff pack, finishing fourth overall, with sophomore Drew Bosley (23:00.5) and freshman Nico Young (23:12.4) following close behind in sixth and ninth; Nur's sub-23 eight kilometer time qualifies as the fifth-fastest pace at Apalachee Regional Park.
Although the men did not have a perfect start out of the gate, they recovered quickly and were in control by the 3K mark of the race; moving strategically through the course, they maintained composure and position as they continued to lead the remainder of the meet.
Redshirt junior George Kusche (23:24.0), and redshirt sophomore Theo Quax (23:26.3) respectively placed 20th and 25th to round out the NAU team score of 64 points.
Meanwhile, No. 7 Colorado and No. 8 Arkansas sequentially finished second and third, each with a score of 128 points; No. 5 BYU came in fourth (131 points) and No. 2 Notre Dame placed fifth (203 points).
As for the women, junior Taryn O'Neill (19:53.4) brought the fire, positioning herself upfront early in the six kilometer race and ultimately finishing fourth overall, proving herself as one of the top women's runners in the country.
Junior Bryn Morley (20:43.6) was the next Lumberjack across the line, finishing 53rd, followed by sophomore Annika Reiss (20:45.2) in 59th, redshirt sophomore Jesselyn Bries (20:57.3) in 77th, and senior Pipi Eitel (21:04.8) in 88th, for a total score of 279 points.
No. 5 Colorado earned first overall (54 points), No. 10 Utah placed second (149 points), No. 15 Florida State finished third (163 points), No. 14 Mississippi took fourth (165 points), No. 12 North Carolina placed fifth (184 points), and No. 11 Arkansas finished sixth (243 points).
With the morning already off to a successful start, it was time for the men's and women's open races.
Similarly to the first matchup of the day, the Lumberjack men earned gold once again, displaying their depth, and placing four men within the top-eight; redshirt freshman Caleb Easton (24:20.0) finished fourth overall, with freshman Kang Nyoak on his heels in fifth (24:22.1). Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Brodey Hasty placed seventh and redshirt senior Aldo Marquez (24:25.6) went eighth.
Redshirt freshman Corey Gorgas (24:39.5) finished just outside the top-10 as well, adding 14 points to the NAU men's grand total of 38 points.
No. 5 BYU placed second (91 points), and Georgetown finished third (124 points).
On the women's side, redshirt freshman Elise Stearns (21:04.2) placed sixth in a breakout performance, with Meagan Van Pelt (21:33.3) finishing next for the 'Jacks in 19th. Freshman Alexis Kebbe (22:02.8) followed in 43rd, with junior Abby Riordan 22:30.8) in 68th, and redshirt sophomore Chloe Painter (22:38.7) in 87th; the open race contained unattached runners, shifting the women's respective points to four, 14, 32, 52, and 67, totalling 169 points.
Tennessee placed first in the race (67 points), Texas took second (122 points), and No. 15 Florida State finished third (152).
The Lumberjacks will come away from this meet with course and competition knowledge; this marks the beginning of championship season, as the next meet on the NAU schedule is Big Sky Conference Championships on Oct. 29.
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