University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, October 5
Lawrence, Kan.
University of Northern Colorado
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Rim Rock Classic
Photo by: Stormie Sickler
Bears Put an Exclamation Point on Season With a Stellar Finish at Rim Rock Classic
10/5/2019 2:30:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
UNC men's cross country team made a statement finishing in second place at the Rim Rock Classic
LAWRENCE, Kan. – If the prior two week's accomplishments weren't enough proof, UNC Men's Cross Country team left no doubt that it has turned the corner, as they gave a spectacular performance at the Rim Rock Classic on Saturday Morning. UNC placed 2nd in the 10 team field.
"I challenged the men's team to be excellent today," said Director of Track and Field and Cross-Country Wayne Angel. "I challenged them to be the best that they could be, and it's apparent from the results that they accepted my challenge".
Despite terrible weather conditions including a delay to the start of the races, and a difficult and muddy course, UNC's men raised some eyebrows as they battled the Kansas Jayhawks for the team title.
Ryan Lemuth led the tightly packed Bears with a 13th place finish and crossed the finish line in 26:37 for the 8k course. Isaiah Remington was next with a time of 26:38 to place 14th, Josh Campbell was less than 2 seconds behind with a time of 26:40 placing 17th and Jeremy Romero was 18th with a time of 26:45.
Stephen Haas was UNC's crucial 5th runner with a time of 26:52 for 24th place. He was followed by Jesse Hayward, Cameron Ross, Chase Watson and Wilson Young with times of 27:25, 28:19, 28:45 and 29:31, respectively.
On the women's side, Anya Tkachenko and Alison Zigler finished in the top 50 with times of 25:32 and 26:22. Emily Wilson, Lillian Baxter and Aleigha Street all placed for the Bears as well.
As a team, the women finished in eighth place out of 11 teams in their first 6K race of the season.
What They Said
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Wayne Angel
About the men's performance
"We lost to a very good Kansas team by a very small margin, we are in a very good place at this point in the season. Our pack continues to get tighter; we had a 15 second spread which is very impressive. I am so proud of our men, they competed with a high level of intensity and toughness today, I believe the best is yet to come".
About the women's team performance
"I'm very pleased with our young ladies, they continue to compete hard and do their best
each time out. Coach Sickler has the team and program moving in the right direction with such a young group."
On what the team have moving forward
"We've worked hard over the summer and during the season, the fruits of our labor are finally starting to show. We've had some nice accolades and accomplishments throughout the season, but now we face the part of our schedule where the stakes are the highest. This is where all of our training gets put to the test. I am confident that these guys will be ready when it counts".
Assistant Coach Stormie Sickler
Thoughts on how the women's team raced today
"After the two hour storm delay, I told the team that this meet was going measure of who is the toughest runner. The times were going to be slow, even for the lead runners of the meet, it was a brutally muddy mess but we got out and pushed through. They simply went out and had fun running in the mud and the results proved that we're on a great track. The girls all performed extremely well for our first 6k of the season. I am extremely impressed with their performances and their attitude! The men went into the race ready to make a statement, and that's exactly what they did. Watching this program build up has been very humbling, but we're not done yet."
What's Ahead
With one meet left in the regular season, the Bears are getting into peak fitness as they prepare for the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, Texas in two weeks before hosting the Big Sky Championships at the beginning of November.
To stay up to date on all things UNC cross country, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Istangram and Twitter at @UNC_BearsTF.
"I challenged the men's team to be excellent today," said Director of Track and Field and Cross-Country Wayne Angel. "I challenged them to be the best that they could be, and it's apparent from the results that they accepted my challenge".
Despite terrible weather conditions including a delay to the start of the races, and a difficult and muddy course, UNC's men raised some eyebrows as they battled the Kansas Jayhawks for the team title.
Ryan Lemuth led the tightly packed Bears with a 13th place finish and crossed the finish line in 26:37 for the 8k course. Isaiah Remington was next with a time of 26:38 to place 14th, Josh Campbell was less than 2 seconds behind with a time of 26:40 placing 17th and Jeremy Romero was 18th with a time of 26:45.
Stephen Haas was UNC's crucial 5th runner with a time of 26:52 for 24th place. He was followed by Jesse Hayward, Cameron Ross, Chase Watson and Wilson Young with times of 27:25, 28:19, 28:45 and 29:31, respectively.
On the women's side, Anya Tkachenko and Alison Zigler finished in the top 50 with times of 25:32 and 26:22. Emily Wilson, Lillian Baxter and Aleigha Street all placed for the Bears as well.
As a team, the women finished in eighth place out of 11 teams in their first 6K race of the season.
What They Said
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Wayne Angel
About the men's performance
"We lost to a very good Kansas team by a very small margin, we are in a very good place at this point in the season. Our pack continues to get tighter; we had a 15 second spread which is very impressive. I am so proud of our men, they competed with a high level of intensity and toughness today, I believe the best is yet to come".
About the women's team performance
"I'm very pleased with our young ladies, they continue to compete hard and do their best
each time out. Coach Sickler has the team and program moving in the right direction with such a young group."
On what the team have moving forward
"We've worked hard over the summer and during the season, the fruits of our labor are finally starting to show. We've had some nice accolades and accomplishments throughout the season, but now we face the part of our schedule where the stakes are the highest. This is where all of our training gets put to the test. I am confident that these guys will be ready when it counts".
Assistant Coach Stormie Sickler
Thoughts on how the women's team raced today
"After the two hour storm delay, I told the team that this meet was going measure of who is the toughest runner. The times were going to be slow, even for the lead runners of the meet, it was a brutally muddy mess but we got out and pushed through. They simply went out and had fun running in the mud and the results proved that we're on a great track. The girls all performed extremely well for our first 6k of the season. I am extremely impressed with their performances and their attitude! The men went into the race ready to make a statement, and that's exactly what they did. Watching this program build up has been very humbling, but we're not done yet."
What's Ahead
With one meet left in the regular season, the Bears are getting into peak fitness as they prepare for the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, Texas in two weeks before hosting the Big Sky Championships at the beginning of November.
To stay up to date on all things UNC cross country, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Istangram and Twitter at @UNC_BearsTF.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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