MADISON, Wis. (October 9, 2026) – Northern Arizona cross country competed at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday, with both the men's and women's teams facing a strong field of nationally ranked programs at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
The women's "A" team finished third in the championship race with 130 points, finishing behind West Virginia and Florida. The men's "A" team placed 13th with 416 points against one of the deepest fields of the season. The team showed its depth in the "B" races with a dominant team win and individual title in the women's race, along with a second-place individual finish and a fourth-place team finish in the men's "B" race.
"We were really excited to race more athletes than we did three weeks ago," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Jarred Cornfield. "The Nuttycombe Invitational is a big, pivotal part of our regular season. We're excited about where we're at right now and looking forward to continuing to grow toward the championship season."
The women's championship race featured a strong field over six kilometers, with
Elsa Sundqvist leading the Lumberjacks in 14th place in a time of 19:36.8.
Eleanor Voykin followed closely behind in 15th, while
Ava Mitchell finished 23rd.
Carmen Cernjul placed 28th, and
Hayley Burns finished 50th.
Keira Moore and
Grace Copeland rounded out the NAU lineup, placing 72nd and 84th.
The Lumberjacks also dominated the women's "B" race, securing the team title with just 18 points.
Emma Stutzman led the team with an individual title in 20:22.2, while freshman
Addy Ritzenhein finished second.
Ayala Harris placed fifth, followed by
Estella Clemons in sixth and
Sophie Coutts in seventh to complete the team's top five scorers.
"The women's B race was a big highlight for us at this meet," Cornfield said. "I think we have one of the deepest teams in the NCAA, and that was showcased by scoring just 18 points in the women's race, with a win from
Emma Stutzman and really strong performances from some freshmen. It really showcases the depth that we have on this NAU women's team."
On the men's side,
Erik Le Roux led Northern Arizona in the eight-kilometer championship race, finishing 43rd overall in a time of 23:26.2.
Ethan Godsey followed in 77th, while
Ford Washburn placed 83rd.
Derebe Ayele finished 94th,
Emmanuel Perez placed 119th, and
Broen Holman rounded out the Lumberjacks' top six in 150th.
The men's team navigated a competitive race while managing sickness within the squad, with the Lumberjacks continuing to work toward having the full team healthy for the championship season.
"For the NAU men's team, we've had to handle some adversity with sickness and still been able to line up a great team and have a solid performance against one of the deepest fields in the NCAA," Cornfield said. "We're excited for our growth there as well, heading into the championship season."
The men's B race provided another strong individual result for Northern Arizona, as
Clay Shively finished second overall in 23:53.4.
Aidan Puffer placed 28th, followed closely by Zach Munson in 29th.
Isaac Benjamin finished 39th, and
Dylan Blair placed 47th.
Aaron Sahlman,
Jonah Fearnley and
Xzavier Campos also competed, finishing 79th, 100th and 113th. The Lumberjacks finished fourth as a team in the men's B race with 124 points.
"Really great performance individually from
Clay Shively in the open race, finishing second," Cornfield added. "We're excited to continue getting healthy from this fall sickness and build toward the Big Sky Championships coming up in just three weeks."
The Nuttycombe Invitational marked Northern Arizona's final regular season competition before the start of the championship season. The Lumberjacks will return home to Flagstaff on Oct. 30 for the Big Sky Cross Country Championships at Buffalo Park, where both teams will look to defend their conference team titles.
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