The University of Wyoming men’s and women’s cross-country teams posted high marks at Saturday’s Montana State Invitational in Bozeman.
“Both of our teams had great performances today and exceeded expectations,” said Wyoming head coach Bryan Berryhill. “We did a much better job of staying together this week and we made quite a bit of progress, so we’re pleased with the results.”
The men’s team placed second with 49 points in a five-mile race. Sophomore Holly Page earned an individual title in a three-mile run to lead the women’s team for a tie in third place against Utah State with 75 points, according to the Wyoming Athletics Department.
Page’s title was her first win in her collegiate career. She paced the course in 17:17, two seconds ahead of Utah State’s Alex Litzsinger, according to UW Athletics.
Redshirt sophomore Christine Nelson placed 10th overall (18:00) and was pursued closely by sophomore Devon England, who finished 13th (18:07). Abi Bever and Audra DeStefano also scored for the team with 21st place and 30th place, respectively.
“That was huge for Holly to get her first individual victory and a huge confidence booster for her as she’s turning into a phenomenal runner,” Berryhill said.
Redshirt freshman Aaron Derner led the Cowboys with a fourth-place finish overall in a five-mile time of 24:59. He was followed by junior Garrett Zans’ sixth-place (25:07) and freshman Mike Seas’ 12th-place mark (25:46), according to Wyoming Athletics.
Senior Michael Banks (26:00) and freshman Alex Pawlak (26:07) also scored for the Cowboys with respective placements of 14th and 16th.
“The men’s team performed well and I’m pleased with the direction they’re going,” Berryhill said. “I’m happy to see Aaron and Garrett leading the way, but more impressed with the 3-4-5 runners doing well with true freshmen in the mix.”
UW will compete again next Saturday when it hosts the Always a Cowboy 8k run/5k walk.
