No. 9 women's cross country remains undefeated in team competition
Oct. 2, 2010
MESA, Ariz. – The perfect season for the No. 9 University of Arizona women’s cross country team continued Friday, as the ladies won their fourth meet in as many tries this season at the ASU Invitational in Mesa, Ariz.
While official scores are still being finalized due to technical issues, a glance at the final results shows that five UA women finished in the top ten and that they were the only team to do so, effectively giving them the victory.
Freshmen Erin Menefee led to way for the Wildcats, winning the women’s three-mile run in a very respectable 17:56.4. Junior Hanna Henson was not far behind, completing the race in 18:03.9 for second place.
Sophomore Kat Howard came across in a time of 19:01.5 to round out the top five and give Arizona three spots within that rank. It was a pair of middle distance runners for Arizona’s track team that rounded out the scoring for the Wildcats with senior Christina Rodgers finishing seventh in 19:21.8 while senior Deanna Sullivan rounded out the top ten with a time of 20.13.6.
The relatively small scale meet served as a chance to showcase some of the depth of the Arizona squad as many members took the weekend off after their victory at the Griak Invitational last weekend.
The overall victory keeps the Wildcat team perfect on the season, having won all four meets now as they prepare for their biggest test yet at the NCAA Pre-National Meet in Terre Haute in two weeks.
On the men’s side, there were Arizona athletes abound in the top of the rankings as they, too, handled their competition from ASU to sweep the scoring – though final tallies are still to come.
Sophomore James Eichberger was the first current cross country Wildcat to cross the line, though redshirt track seniors Mohamud Ige and Brian MacArthur – both competing unattached – swept the top two spots in the race and led to the scoring deficiency. Both athletes have exhausted their cross country eligibility.
Eichberger finished fifth overall in 15:19.0 in the men’s three mile race to score the first point for Arizona. Junior Abdi Hassan was next across the line in sixth place in a time of 15:22.6.
Noe Ramirez, Jordan Mara and Patrick Zacharias rounded out the top ten in the eighth, ninth and tenth positions to give both UA squads a total of five top-ten finishers at the meet.
Complete results can be accessed as soon as they are made available. The Wildcats, as mentioned, now set their sights on the NCAA Pre-National Meet as the next event on the schedule.
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