Top Teams Clashed at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational

By Adam Kopet

Top teams from across the country clashed on Friday at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational. In the men's race, No. 17 Southern Utah upset No. 2 Colorado. Southern Utah scored 72 points to Colorado's 101 points.

All five of Southern Utah's scoring runners finished ahead of Colorado's fourth runner. The Thunderbirds were led by the fifth and sixth place finishes of senior Mike Tate (23:52) and junior Kasey Knevelbaard (23:59). Colorado was led by the fourth place finish of sophomore Joe Klecker (23:34).

Alabama swept the top-three individual spots in the 5-mile race. Junior Gilbert Kigen won in 23:24. He was followed closely by juniors Vincent Kiprop (23:25) and Alfred Chelanga (23:27). Alabama finished eighth in the team standings.

The women's 5k race was a close battle between No. 1 Colorado and No. 4 New Mexico.

The Lobos were led by the 1-2 finish of sophomore Ednah Kurgat (16:02) and senior Alice Wright (16:12). Freshman Weini Kelati was sixth in 16:24 and junior Charlotte Prouse was eighth in 16:33.

However, placing four women in the top-eight was not enough to hold off the top-ranked team in the country. The Buffaloes won with 47 points ahead of New Mexico's 51 points.

Junior Dani Jones was the top runner for Colorado, placing third in 16:13. Three other Buffaloes finished in the top-10. Junior Makenna Morley was seventh in 16:30 and senior Kaitlyn Benner was ninth in 16:36 with sophomore Sage Hurta one spot back with an identical time.

Further back in the team standings, No. 8 North Carolina State finished third with 118 points. No. 5 Arkansas, with only five finishers, was fourth with 171 points.