Both UW cross country teams land top-30 finishes in Pre-Nationals

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The University of Wyoming Cross Country Teams were back in action Friday morning as they went up against numerous nationally ranked teams at the Pre-Nationals hosted by Florida State. 

For the second race in a row senior Oisin O’Gailin was the top finisher for the Cowboys clocking a time of 24:11.6 which helped him to finish 90^th and finish as the only Cowboy in the top 100. Sophomore Mason Norman was the second-best runner for the Pokes finishing 138^th with a time of 24:32.9. The sophomore duo of Seth Bruxvoort and Gus McIntyre finished 170^th and 176^th respectively. Junior Albert Steiner rounded out the top five finishers for the Cowboys coming in at 204^th.

In the team standings, the Cowboys finished with a score of 756 points to finish 28^th in the 40-team field that included 12 nationally ranked teams. The Pokes finished ahead notable schools like Florida and Arizona State, while Northern Arizona claimed the team title with a score of 64 points. 

Katelyn Mitchem continued her strong season for the Cowgirls once again coming in as the top finisher for the Brown and Gold. Mitchem clocked a time of 21:10.8 to finish 100^th in the very competitive field. Freshman Leah Christians was the second Cowgirl to cross the finish line coming in at 114^th with a time of 21.22.5. Fellow freshman Kylie Simshauser finished in 133^rd place with a time of 21:36.6. Junior Kaylee Kearse and senior Addi Iken rounded out the top five for the Cowgirls finishing 161^st and 181^st respectively. 

As a team, the Cowgirls finished with 667 points and came in 24 the out of the 33 teams competing. Wyoming finished four spots ahead of regional foe Montana State, who was ranked one spot ahead of the Cowgirls in the region coming into Friday. Colorado won the race on the women’s side with a final score of 54 points. 

Wyoming had four athletes compete in the open races which featured individuals as well as teams for the NCAA, NAIA and Junior College levels. Connor Zydek and Asefa Wetzel competed in the men’s open ace finishing 56^th and 74^th respectively. In the women’s open race, Michelle Renner and Mady Willis finished 122^nd and 133^rd respectively. 

Up next the Cowboy and Cowgirl Cross Country Squads will turn their attention to the Mountain West Championships on Oct. 29 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

 Cowboy Results
Team

1.             Northern Arizona – 64 points
2.             Colorado – 128 points
3.             Arkansas – 128 points
4.             BYU – 131 points
5.             Notre Dame – 203 points
6.             Texas – 233 points
7.             Princeton – 271 points
8.             Florida State – 281 points
9.             Alabama – 325 points
10.             Georgetown – 331 points
11.             Ole Miss – 348 points
12.             Montana State – 364 points
13.             Duke – 367 points
14.             CBU – 376 points
15.             Wake Forest – 401 points
16.             Weber State – 454 points
17.             Charlotte – 496 points
18.             Kentucky – 551 points
19.             Utah Valley – 584 points
20.             Liberty – 595 points
21.             North Florida – 604 points
22.             Santa Clara – 652 points
23.             Cincinnati – 655 points
24.             Charleston Southern – 665 points
25.             Tennessee – 667 points
26.             Bradley – 731 points
27.             UCLA – 746 points
28.             Wyoming – 756 points
29.             Northeastern – 816 points
30.             Florida – 840 points
31.             Arizona State – 850 points
32.             Miami (OH) – 855 points
33.             Ohio State – 878 points
34.             Georgia – 889 points
35.             Rice – 898 points 
36.             Auburn – 930 points
37.             Illinois – 1019 points
38.             South Alabama – 1050 points
39.             Bucknell – 1093 points
40.             Central Arkansas - 1279 points

Individual Results 
90. Oisin O'Gailin, 24:11.6
138.Mason Norman, 24:32.9
170.Seth Bruxvoort, 24:45.3
176.Gus McIntyre, 24:48.1
204.Albert Steiner, 24:59.7
221.Trevor Stephen, 25:10.6
222.Jerald Taylor, 25:10.8

Cowgirls Results 
Team

1.             Colorado – 54 points
2.             Utah – 149 points
3.             Florida State – 163 points
4.             Ole Miss – 165 points
5.             North Carolina – 184 points
6.             Arkansas – 243 points
7.             Northern Arizona – 279 points
8.             Liberty – 279 points
9.             Illinois – 302 points
10.             Georgetown – 317 points
11.             Toledo – 335 points
12.             Kentucky – 342 points
13.             Weber State – 365 points
14.             Ohio State – 370 points
15.             Duke – 379 points
16.             Florida – 397 points
17.             Wake Forest – 474 points
18.             Boston College – 482 points
19.             CBU – 492 points
20.             UC Davis – 496 points
21.             Utah Valley – 531 points
22.             Miami (OH) – 567 points
23.             Elon – 576 Points
24.             Wyoming – 667 points
25.             UCLA – 679 points
26.             Kansas – 709 points
27.             Kansas State – 730 points
28.             Montana State – 736 points
29.             Auburn – 762 points
30.             Arizona – 814 points
31.             Arkansas State – 814 points
32.             Central Arkansas – 969 points
33.             UCF – 1000 points 

Individual Results 
100. Katelyn Mitchem, 21:10.8
114. Leah Christians, 21:22.5
133. Kylie Simshauser, 21:36.6
161. Kaylee Kearse, 22:10.4
181. Addi Iken, 22:20.2
188. Abigail Whitman, 22:38.3
205. Libby McGrath, 22:38.3

* UW press release

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