University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, September 20
Falcon Heights, Minn. / Les Bolstad Course
10:00 a.m. Central
vs
Roy Griak Invitational
Pankratz, Westerlund pace Cross Country at Griak Invitational
9/20/2024 3:22:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Men run first 8K, women race second 6K Friday in Falcon Heights, Minn.
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- The St. Thomas men's and women's cross country teams both competed at the Roy Griak Invitational Friday in Falcon Heights. The Tommie men ran their first 8,000-meter race of the season while the women ran another 6,000-meter race.
Max Westerlund set a personal record and led the Tommies with a time of 25:57.0 to finish 47th overall followed by Sean McNiesh in 62nd with a time of 26:12.8. Tony Weeks also finished among the top 100 in 85th with a time of 26:37.2 while freshman Kai Liljequist placed 109th in 26:53.5, his first 8K race as a Tommie. Charlie Power-Theisen rounded out the top five point scorers in 122nd with a time of 27:03.1.
Ava Pankratz placed 59th in 23:00.4 to top the Tommie women, followed by Molly Desotell in 73rd with a time of 23:13.0. Freshman Sophie Yetter finished 86th in 23:28.0 while Annie Kiolbasa took 102nd in 23:42.2. Elsie Kmecak finished 133rd with a time of 24:11.6.
The Tommie men finished 14th of 17 teams with 381 points while Wyoming earned the team win with 63 points followed by Navy with 71. The St. Thomas women placed 15th of 17 teams with 379 points as Minnesota won the team title with 47 points followed by Utah Valley with 53.
UP NEXT
The men and women both travel to South Bend, Ind., to compete at the Joe Piane Invitational Oct. 4 while the women will also send student-athletes to the Blugold Invite in Colfax, Wis., the same day.
QUOTEABLES
Thoughts from women's head coach Ashley Lucas:
"Today showed us both areas of strength and opportunities for growth, but we're staying focused on the fact that it's still early in the season. We have a lot of exciting meets ahead, and we're confident that we know what it takes to reach our full potential as a team. We're committed to continuing that process and building momentum."
Thoughts from men's head coach Pete Wareham following the Griak Invitational:
"We had a very solid opening meet today. Our experienced runners performed well, and it was important for our new guys to finally compete in a collegiate 8K cross country meet. We focused more on race strategy and execution. We raced with just only one junior and one senior, while the other 12 were sophomores and freshmen. Gaining more racing experience at this level for our freshmen, along with bringing back a couple of returners who are now coming off injuries, will be a big difference maker. We are looking forward to the next steps to becoming a better team and also our next race at Notre Dame."
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Cross Country, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieXCTF. For more information on St. Thomas Men's and Women's Cross Country, follow along on Instagram at @tommiemtfxc and @tommiewxctf
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Max Westerlund set a personal record and led the Tommies with a time of 25:57.0 to finish 47th overall followed by Sean McNiesh in 62nd with a time of 26:12.8. Tony Weeks also finished among the top 100 in 85th with a time of 26:37.2 while freshman Kai Liljequist placed 109th in 26:53.5, his first 8K race as a Tommie. Charlie Power-Theisen rounded out the top five point scorers in 122nd with a time of 27:03.1.
Ava Pankratz placed 59th in 23:00.4 to top the Tommie women, followed by Molly Desotell in 73rd with a time of 23:13.0. Freshman Sophie Yetter finished 86th in 23:28.0 while Annie Kiolbasa took 102nd in 23:42.2. Elsie Kmecak finished 133rd with a time of 24:11.6.
The Tommie men finished 14th of 17 teams with 381 points while Wyoming earned the team win with 63 points followed by Navy with 71. The St. Thomas women placed 15th of 17 teams with 379 points as Minnesota won the team title with 47 points followed by Utah Valley with 53.
UP NEXT
The men and women both travel to South Bend, Ind., to compete at the Joe Piane Invitational Oct. 4 while the women will also send student-athletes to the Blugold Invite in Colfax, Wis., the same day.
QUOTEABLES
Thoughts from women's head coach Ashley Lucas:
"Today showed us both areas of strength and opportunities for growth, but we're staying focused on the fact that it's still early in the season. We have a lot of exciting meets ahead, and we're confident that we know what it takes to reach our full potential as a team. We're committed to continuing that process and building momentum."
Thoughts from men's head coach Pete Wareham following the Griak Invitational:
"We had a very solid opening meet today. Our experienced runners performed well, and it was important for our new guys to finally compete in a collegiate 8K cross country meet. We focused more on race strategy and execution. We raced with just only one junior and one senior, while the other 12 were sophomores and freshmen. Gaining more racing experience at this level for our freshmen, along with bringing back a couple of returners who are now coming off injuries, will be a big difference maker. We are looking forward to the next steps to becoming a better team and also our next race at Notre Dame."
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Cross Country, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieXCTF. For more information on St. Thomas Men's and Women's Cross Country, follow along on Instagram at @tommiemtfxc and @tommiewxctf
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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