University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Bears Earn Valuable Experience at John McNichols and Greeno/Dirksen Inviational
9/23/2019 11:02:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. / LINCOLN, Neb. – The UNC Cross Country teams earned valuable experience on Saturday in its toughest meets yet of the 2019 season. The men at the John McNichols Invitational and the women at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite.
For the men they competed against five nationally ranked programs and a field of 22 teams consisting of over 300 runners, placing in 14th place despite not having the help of super sophomore Ryan Lemuth due to a sinus infection.
Without Lemuth, Jeremy Romero and Stephen Haas led the team finishing the 8K course in 25:50 and 25:54, respectively.
"I am so proud of these young men, there was a lot of positive things that we can take away from this meet," stated Director of Track and Field/Cross Country, Wayne Angel. "With a healthy Ryan, we could easily finish in the top eight. Our team spread from our first runner to our fifth runner today was 23 seconds compared to 49 seconds the last time out. We are learning to run in a tight-knit pack which will be important to our future success. I also was very pleased with the competitive efforts of everyone, we just have to continue working harder and smarter and trusting the process."
For the women, they competed against some of the top teams in the Midwest at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite.
The Bears finished in 13th place of 16 teams. Sophomore Emily Wilson led the team by completing the course in 19:32.3 and was followed up by freshman Anya Tkachenko with a time of 19:39.9.
"Overall, I'm very pleased with our performances today, the girls got out and made sure to stick together and pull each other along. This is the dynamic we are creating on our team, to pack up and work together as a team in a race as they do in practice, Assistant Coach Stormie Sickler said. "Having your teammate next to you during the race means that when you start to fall back, she is there to encourage you to get up next to her. Our team spread was well especially for a very hilly course, with less than two minutes between our top finisher and our last. The mentality of the race was the strongest we have been. The girls were able to associate certain workouts into the race that we're able to help them achieve a successful performance. We are definitely on the right track and are all eager for the next two weeks of training before we head to Lawrence."
What's Ahead?
It will be another two weeks break for Northern Colorado before they are back in competition. UNC's next race comes on October 5 in Lawrence, Kansas as a part of the Rim Rock Classic.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Cross Country, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on social media at @UNC_BearsTF.
For the men they competed against five nationally ranked programs and a field of 22 teams consisting of over 300 runners, placing in 14th place despite not having the help of super sophomore Ryan Lemuth due to a sinus infection.
Without Lemuth, Jeremy Romero and Stephen Haas led the team finishing the 8K course in 25:50 and 25:54, respectively.
"I am so proud of these young men, there was a lot of positive things that we can take away from this meet," stated Director of Track and Field/Cross Country, Wayne Angel. "With a healthy Ryan, we could easily finish in the top eight. Our team spread from our first runner to our fifth runner today was 23 seconds compared to 49 seconds the last time out. We are learning to run in a tight-knit pack which will be important to our future success. I also was very pleased with the competitive efforts of everyone, we just have to continue working harder and smarter and trusting the process."
For the women, they competed against some of the top teams in the Midwest at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite.
The Bears finished in 13th place of 16 teams. Sophomore Emily Wilson led the team by completing the course in 19:32.3 and was followed up by freshman Anya Tkachenko with a time of 19:39.9.
"Overall, I'm very pleased with our performances today, the girls got out and made sure to stick together and pull each other along. This is the dynamic we are creating on our team, to pack up and work together as a team in a race as they do in practice, Assistant Coach Stormie Sickler said. "Having your teammate next to you during the race means that when you start to fall back, she is there to encourage you to get up next to her. Our team spread was well especially for a very hilly course, with less than two minutes between our top finisher and our last. The mentality of the race was the strongest we have been. The girls were able to associate certain workouts into the race that we're able to help them achieve a successful performance. We are definitely on the right track and are all eager for the next two weeks of training before we head to Lawrence."
What's Ahead?
It will be another two weeks break for Northern Colorado before they are back in competition. UNC's next race comes on October 5 in Lawrence, Kansas as a part of the Rim Rock Classic.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Cross Country, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on social media at @UNC_BearsTF.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
Tuesday, April 14
Wednesday, April 08
Tuesday, February 24
Tuesday, February 17
