The Georgetown men’s and women’s cross country squads competed in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis. on Oct. 13. The women’s squad put up a strong performance against some of the nation’s toughest competition, finishing third overall in the 6,000 meters. The men’s team put up a strong effort but ultimately finished twenty-third in the 8,000m.

The No. 3 Georgetown women’s cross country team competed against eight of the top 10 ranked teams in the country, beating all but two of them. The Hoyas had a score of 208 and placed third out of 33 teams. 

 All-American junior Chloe Scrimgeour, who finished seventh overall with a time of 19:59.2 and earned Big East Female Athlete of the Week honors for her performance, led the Georgetown squad. Two-time All-American junior Melissa Riggins, who finished fifteenth overall with a time of 20:13.3, followed Serimgeour closely.

All of the Hoyas’ point scorers finished in the top 75. Graduate student Maggie Donahue finished 54th with a time of 20:46.6 while senior Chloe Gonzales finished 61st with a time of 20:49.2. Graduate Kelsey Swenson anchored the squad, finishing 74th with a time of 20:54.5.

The women’s team also finished 11th in the B-race. First-year Barrett Justema led the Hoyas, finishing 37th with a time of 22:24.7. 

Strong performances from their top five runners allowed the Hoyas to claim third place against a competitive pool of teams. Georgetown topped No. 4 Notre Dame University and No. 5 Stanford University, only losing to the first and second-ranked teams in the country, North Carolina State University and Northern Arizona University, respectively. The Georgetown squad had an average time of 20:32:56, trailing second place by 23 seconds.

“The women executed a strong team race in a tough environment both in terms of the quality of the field and the conditions,” women’s cross country Head Coach Mitchell Baker said in an interview with Georgetown Athletics. “There are great lessons and opportunities for growth heading into the championship season.”

On the same day, the Georgetown men’s squad competed in the 8,000m, finishing 23rd overall and totaling 572 points. Graduate student and two-time All-American Parker Stokes led the Hoyas, finishing 41st with a time of 24:03.2. Graduate student Matthew Rizzo, who finished 54th with a time of 24:08.5, followed Stokes. 

In the 8,000m race, junior Lucas Guerra placed 122nd while graduate student Camden Gilmore placed 213th, coming in with times of 24:30.0 and 25:07.4, respectively.

A highlight of the Hoyas’ performance was the debut of first-year Birhanu Harriman. Racing for the first time at Georgetown, Harriman ran a 24:42.3 and finished 152nd overall.

Men’s cross country Head Coach Brandon Bonsey said he was impressed with the effort his runners have already put in but is seeking greater successes for his team in the future as championship season looms ahead.

“I thought Parker Stokes and Matt Rizzo executed tough races in very difficult conditions,” Bonsey said in an interview with Georgetown Athletics. “Freshman Birhanu Harriman had a very nice debut in the Hoya uniform. Overall, we have a lot of work to do to prepare for the postseason.”

The Georgetown cross country team will race in Wisconsin once again for the Big East Championships on Oct. 28. The women’s team will look to win for the second year in a row, and the men’s team will aim to improve on their third-place finish.