The Texas A&M cross country squads placed 23rd and 24th, respectively, in the men’s and women’s divisions Friday at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin played host to a combined 49 collegiate teams, including three top-10 schools, at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.
Amidst the premier talent in the South Central Region, the No. 4 men scored 616 points, enabling them to take 23rd place out of 24, and the No. 3 women placed 24th out of 25 with 650 points.
“On both sides, we didn’t get out very aggressively,” distance coach Wendel McRaven said in a press release. “I think both groups moved up throughout the race, but we probably dug ourselves too big of a hole early. We have work to do if our intention is to be back here in November. The good thing is that we are capable of doing that work.”
BYU took home the crown for the men’s division with 44 points, and Iowa State rode in on its coattails with 108 points. In the women’s division, Washington claimed victory with 110 points with Utah not far behind, coming in second with 139 points.
Similar to the previous two races, sophomore Zach Munger was a standout for the Aggies, leading the team with a time of 24 minutes and 35.9 seconds, enabling him to take 88th place out of 179 runners in the 8K event. Freshman Jack Johnston was within reach of Munger, finishing in 96th place with a time of 24:38.4.
In the women’s division, freshman Megan Roberts led the Maroon and White, finishing her 6K race with a time of 21:24.5, coming in 96th place out of 190 athletes. Freshman Maddie Peters was also a leader for the Aggies, posting a time of 21:44.5 for 130th place.
Following the Nuttycombe Invitational, the Aggies’ season record stands at 16-24 for the men’s division and 18-24 for the women’s division.
A&M will have a three-week break before returning to action on Friday, Oct. 18, for the Arturo Barrios Invitational at the Watts Cross Country Course in College Station.
