Cross-country leaves ASU with win

Both the men and women’s cross-country teams pulled out a win against in-state rivals ASU this past weekend.

The No. 9 women’s team, who is a perfect 4-0, sat its entire first team in preparation for a Pre-National Invitational in Indiana in two weeks, but won nonetheless.

Freshmen Erin Menefee won the women’s 3-mile run with a time of 17:56.4. Official scores are still being finalized because of technical issues at the meet. The Wildcats were able to round out the top 10 with five women crossing the finish line.

The ASU invitational is a relatively small meet compared to the other meets the Wildcats have participated in and that contributed to the decision to sit the women’s first team.

The men got their first team win at ASU, as they ran their entire first team except junior Stephen Sambu.

Sophomore James Eichberger led the Wildcats with a fifth-place finish and was the first Wildcat to cross the finish line in the 3-mile race. Like the women, the men also had five runners in the top 10.

Men’s Golf continues to struggle, places eighth in Albuquerque

The Arizona men’s golf team placed eighth this weekend in the William H. Tucker Invitational with a score of 897 (plus-33). The Wildcats had a very up-and-down tournament with the majority of the team struggling in the last round.

“”As a whole we didn’t play that good,”” said senior Jonathan Khan. “”We finished in the middle of pack and the field wasn’t that strong.””

Khan was one Arizona player who stood out, however, as he led the way for the team. Khan placed 16th and recorded his first top-20 finish of the season thanks to a final-round 73.

Going into this tournament, head coach Rick LaRose was looking for someone to step up and take the fifth spot on the team’s rotation. Some of the underclassmen showed promise in the opening rounds but fell off at the end.

“”It’s still kind of open and I think the next couple weeks before Isleworth (Collegiate Invitational) the team will be watching the guys to see how they play,”” Khan said of the fifth spot.

The next opportunity for the Wildcats to bounce back will be Oct. 16 at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo.

— Kevin Nadakal