MADISON, Wisc. (October 13, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University cross country teams had a successful day at the Nuttycombe Invitational, becoming the only program in meet history to sweep both the men's and women's championship races.
The women began the day, easily finishing first in a stacked field with a total of 52 points.
Elise Stearns led the team, running a 6K time of 19:54.6 to finish fourth.
Gracelyn Larkin was the next finisher for the 'Jacks, placing eighth with a time of 20:01.5.
Annika Reiss and
Aliandrea Upshaw were not far behind in 10
th and 12
th, running times of 20:06.8 and 20:08.7 respectively.
Keira Moore was the final scorer for NAU, finishing 18
th with a time of 20:16.9.
Also competing but not scoring were
Ruby Smee,
Maisie Grice, and
Maggi Congdon. Smee placed 24
th with a time of 20:25.9, Grice finished 44
th with a time of 20:41.6, and Congdon finished 47
th with a time of 20:42.1.
The women defeated many top-10 teams en route to victory. Following NAU were No. 1 NC State, No. 11 Georgetown, No. 5 Stanford, and No. 9 Florida.
The men raced next, also seeing a dominant victory as they scored 76 points.
Nico Young finished second for the second consecutive year, running an 8K time of 23:26.1.
Drew Bosley was not far behind in eighth place, finishing with a time of 23:32.1.
Aaron Las Heras had an impressive day, placing 12
th with a time of 23:39.0.
Theo Quax and
Santiago Gomez-Prosser rounded out the scoring for NAU, placing 25
th and 29
th respectively with times of 23:55.3 and 23:57.6.
Also running but not scoring were
Corey Gorgas,
Brodey Hasty, and
Kang Nyoak. Gorgas finished 33
rd with a time of 23:59.7, Hasty placed 43
rd with a time of 24:04.0, and Nyoak finished 70
th with a time of 24:13.4.
The men also defeated many top nationally ranked teams. Following NAU were No. 3 BYU, No. 6 Syracuse, No. 14 CBU, and No. 11 Texas.
The 'Jacks also ran teams in the B races, with the women claiming victory with a score of 62 points.
Nikita Moore won the individual title in the B race, running a 6K time of 21:24.6.
Meagan Van Pelt and
Anna Fenske were right behind in second and third, running times of 21L32.5 and 21:34.7 respectively.
Alexis Kebbe finished 24
th with a time of 22:11.4, while
Victoria Gaitan closed out the scoring in 45
th with a time of 22:33.7.
Also running but not scoring were
Lauren Jorgensen and
Skyler Wallace. Jorgensen finished 66
th with a time of 22:49.8 and Wallace finished 103
rd with a time of 23:26.8
In the men's B race, NAU placed fifth with a team score of 110 points.
John Scherer led the team, finishing in third place with an 8K time of 25:00.0.
Randy Espinoza was the next finisher, placing 26
th with a time of 25:34.9.
Aidan Puffer placed 42
nd with a time of 25:47.3, while
Caleb Easton and
Erik Le Roux finished 50
th and 52
nd respectively. Easton ran a time of 25:55.6 and Le Roux ran a time of 25:57.1.
Also competing but not scoring were
Terrence Keyes and
Aiden Barnhill. Keyes placed 80
th with a time of 26:15.4 while Barnhill finished 108
th with a time of 26:51.8.
The Lumberjacks will have a week off before they head to Missoula, Montana to begin their postseason with the Big Sky Conference Championships on October 27. Stay up to date with NAU Cross Country and Track & Field by following us on Twitter and Instagram.
