The Colorado cross country team secured top-5 finishes at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Verona, Wisconsin, according to a notice from University of Colorado Athletics. The men's team took second place while the women's team placed fifth in the competition hosted by Wisconsin.
Meshack Kipruto won the men's championship race, setting new records for both the meet and the 8K Thomas Zimmer Championship Course with a time of 22 minutes, 30.1 seconds. Head Coach Sean Carlson stated that Kipruto's performance as a 19-year-old freshman was incredibly impressive. The men's team finished with a total of 93 points, trailing the meet champion New Mexico, which scored 59 points. Other top finishers for the men included Isaiah Givens in 14th place with a time of 22:52.2 and Jake Liebert in 21st place with a time of 23:07.7.
The women's team finished in fifth place with 166 points, behind West Virginia, Florida, Northern Arizona, and New Mexico. Sheylah Kurgat led the Colorado women with a seventh-place finish in the 6K championship event, clocking a time of 19:24.3. Additional finishers for the women included Adrianna Buitelaar in 16th place, Abbey Mathison in 21st place, and Holly Barker in 51st place. Coach Carlson noted that the women ran fantastically and expressed pride in their performance.
The men's field included BYU in third place with 146 points. The women's field saw West Virginia claim the title with 66 points, followed by Florida with 111 points and Northern Arizona with 130 points.
The cross country team is scheduled to travel to Stillwater, Okla., for the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31.
