The No. 5 Arizona women’s cross country team won the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn., at the Les Bolstad Course on Saturday. The UA men finished 10th at the meet.
In the women’s 6,000-meter race, Arizona senior Elvin Kibet finished first with a time of 20:49 in her season debut. Kibet was one of four Wildcat women to finish in eighth place or better; the second Wildcat to finish was junior Nicci Corbin, who took fifth place overall with a time of 20:59.
“I’m really happy with the entire women’s team,” head coach James Li said. “They ran a really strong race against good competition. Elvin had a really strong race for her first of the season. However, if we want to get to No. 1 in the country or close to that, our fifth runner has to close the gap and be closer to our fourth runner. We’ll keep working, and I think that is very possible for this team.”
Third to finish for the Wildcats was sophomore Kayla Beattie with a time of 21:02; she was sixth place overall. Next was Maria Larsson with a time of 21:06, good enough for eighth place overall. Junior Hanna Peterson came in fifth for the Wildcats, taking 27th place overall with a time of 21:39.
The first race of the day was the men’s 8,000-meter race, where freshman runner Collins Kibet finished first for the Wildcats (and 24th place overall) with a time of 24:55. The second Wildcat to finish was junior Sam Macaluso, who was 26th overall, with a time of 24:56.
“Our men’s team is on the up and up,” assistant coach Maureen Huber said. “They are really coming together well and today was a solid showing. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’re excited about the direction the group is heading. We still feel we can make it to the NCAA Championships with this group.”
Third for the Wildcats was Kenji Bierig, 32nd place overall, with a time of 25:02. Freshman runner, Matthew Beet came in fourth for the Wildcats, 74th place overall, with a time of 25:33.
The Wildcats’ next meet is on October 12th in Mesa, Ariz., at the Thunderbird Cross Country Classic, starting at 7 a.m.
— Follow Makenzie Thiel @makenziethiel
