Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

CROSS COUNTRY | Teams Finish in Top 20 at Wisconsin Invitational

The Georgetown men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to compete in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Oct. 18. The women finished in 19th place out of 36 teams in the six-kilometer race, while the men finished in 20th place out of 33 teams in the eight-kilometer race. 

For the women’s team, graduate student Madeline Perez finished first among the Hoyas, coming in 78th place with a time of 21:09.3. Following closely behind Perez came junior Baylee Jones in 90th place, finishing in 21:15.6. 

Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Julie Culley recognized the performances of the team’s top two finishers, particularly their strong finishes to a grueling race. 

“Madeline Perez ran a conservative race coming off of being sick and Baylee Jones ran an unbelievable last 2000m to pass 47 individuals,” Culley said in an interview with GUHoyas. 

Just making the top 100 came sophomore Alyssa Aldridge, clinching 100th place with a time of 21:17.2. Sophomore Sami Corman finished fourth for the Hoyas with a time of 21:26.4, followed by senior Meg Mathison in 21:33.6, finishing fifth for the Hoyas in 139th place. Culley noted that improvement in these runner’s performances could have a positive impact on the team’s overall standing. 

“Our three to five runners need to be further up in the field because the outcome would change significantly,” Culley said.

The women’s team is currently ranked No. 23 in the National Coaches’ Poll of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. This past weekend, it finished ahead of No. 25 Oregon State along with No. 15 Syracuse, but Culley says the team is still better than the day’s performances.  

“We thought on a good day we could finish inside the top 15 and on a solid day we’d be inside the top 20,” Culley said. “We were better today than we’ve been in recent years at Wisconsin, but we are better than this. But we have to prove it.” 

GU Hoyas | Members of the men’s cross country team stay focused as they race against components from DePaul, Providence, and Xavier.

On the men’s side, senior Jack Van Scoter finished first for the Hoyas, earning 77th place with a time of 24:28.2. Finishing just below four seconds behind Van Scoter came graduate student Spencer Brown in 24:32.0 to earn 88th place. 

Sophomore Price Owens finished third for the Hoyas in 121th place with a time of 24:45.4. Fifth-year student Nick Wareham finished nearly simultaneously with Owens with a time of 24:45.7. Sophomore Rusty Kujdych rounded out the top five finishers for the Hoyas, finishing in 24:50.7.

Head Men’s Cross Country Coach Brandon Bonsey told GUHoyas he wants to see improvement in the performances of the team’s top finishers. 

“Once again, the men had a tight one to five spread, but we need them to be further up in the pack,” Bonsey said. “The one to six spread was 22 seconds, which is really good, but we have to move up in the pack better.”

Despite room for improvement, the team finished ahead of nationally ranked teams, including No. 12 Syracuse and No. 25 Eastern Kentucky. This performance, however, did not capture the team’s true capabilities, according to Bonsey.

“I see the potential of this team, but it’s time for us to actually reach our potential,” Bonsey said. “I don’t think today’s result reflects how good we actually are. We have always been a team that peaks well and I believe this year will be no different.” 

On Nov. 2, the teams will travel back to Wisconsin, this time in Kenosha, to compete in the Big East championships.

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