Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Notre Dame Invitational
Wildcat men 15th, women 16th at Joe Piane Invitational
10/4/2019 5:23:00 PM | Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country
SOUTH BEND, IN – The Weber State University women's cross country team finished 16th, and the men's cross country team finished 15th at the competitive Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame on Friday afternoon. Full race results are available here.
WOMEN
The women's team finished 16th overall in the 5K against a very competitive field that included 11 of the top 30 NCAA ranked teams. Head women's coach Paul Pilkington said, "Looking at the race I thought if we could finish in the top 15th we'd be good. We finished in 16th which is just two points behind Iowa State, who is currently ranked 16th in the NCAA."
Junior Abby Lawrence led the Wildcats with a time of 16:55.72, finishing 32nd overall out of 185 racers. Senior Lexie Thompson was the second Wildcat to finish with a time of 17:09.02 earning 56th overall. Summer Allen came in 112th with a time of 17:48.65, and Isabella Williams finished 114th at 17:49.89. Freshman Laurie Murphy came in at 17:54.21 to earn 120th overall.
"We had a good race even though our top two runners got caught in a spot where there were so many runners on a turn that it came to a standstill. But overall it was a good day for us." said Pilkington.
MEN
The men's team finished 15th overall in the 7K race, led by sophomore Taylor Dillon's time of 24:06.99 earning the 36th overall finish out of 170 racers. "Taylor Dillon led the way for us. He ran our fastest time on this course since Seth Pilkington in 2007," said men's head coach Corbin Talley. Senior Jordan Cross followed with a time of 24:15.49 to finish in 54th, and sophomore Christian Allen came in at 24:20.21 earning 65th. "Christian Allen also came through big for us. He hasn't had much training because of a hip injury, but he dug deep and finished well." said Talley.
"The guys ran a very strong race. I am very proud of their toughness and effort. It was an intense, fast start, and we didn't establish position very well." said Talley. "We would have liked to finish a bit higher and beat a few more nationally ranked teams, but it was still our best team effort we've ever had at the Notre Dame Invite."
The Wildcat men's team beat Colorado State (14), and Alabama (31) who are both nationally ranked. "The guys showed a lot of poise with a bad start and a lot of guts over the second half. We're walking away hungry for a better performance at the Pre-Nationals in two weeks." said Talley.
Up next, the Wildcats head to Logan, Utah to compete in the Utah State Invitational on October 11th.
Players Mentioned
