Southern Utah University cross country teams found success out west in Riverside, California, according to a September 19 report. The men's squads won both the 8K invitational and the open races, while the women's team secured a fourth-place finish in the 6K invitational despite battling illness and minor injuries.
In the men's 8K invite, the Thunderbirds claimed first place with a team score of 49 and a total time of 1:59:46, averaging 4:50 per mile. Logan Peel led the team with an eighth-place finish at 23:41.9. Other top performers included Parker Barnes in ninth, Tyler Saunders in 12th, and Amit Cohen in 18th. Jacob Russell finished 22nd. Additional finishers included Joshua Hernandez, Kohl Sanders, and the men's team's top five runners who all performed strongly.
Head coach Isaac Wood stated that the meet was an opportunity to celebrate the team's fitness and provide a data point regarding their standing on the national scene. Wood noted that despite injuries and illness, both men's teams ran strong races.
The men's team also secured first place in the 8K open race with a team score of 27. True freshman Dax Daley won the individual title with a time of 24:14. Five additional runners finished inside the top 10, including Chase Evans, Daniel Martinez, Seth Sonerholm, Oliver James, and Samuel Lanham. Every runner on the team finished inside the top 50 of the 256-person field. The team also included finishers Todd Yeates, Richard Crane, Ezra Nelson, and Jonah Denison.
The women's team finished fourth in the 6K invitational with a team score of 198, competing without senior Angelina Lione. Bella Evans led the squad with a sixth-place finish at 20:31.4. Other top finishers included Aspen Hacker in 29th, Audrey Hales in 39th, Nixie Killpack in 68th, and Tara Bouck in 69th. Other participants included Leah Larsen, Kennedy Swain, Hannah Shaha, and Brooklyn Tarr.
SUU is scheduled to race in the SUU Color Country Invitational on Oct. 3 at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course in Cedar City. The men's race is set to begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the women at 11:00 a.m., and the Alumni race at 11:30 a.m.
