After making the trek up north this week, Virginia cross country competed in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis., Friday afternoon. The Cavaliers, who had not raced at Nuttycombe since 2019, finished 11th place in both the men’s and women’s meets, which featured many of the country’s strongest teams. No. 2 Brigham Young grabbed the win on the men’s side, while No. 5 Washington took home the women’s title.
The invitational kicked off at noon with the women’s 6k B race, in which freshman Stella Kermes finished in 6th out of 68 competitors in a time of 21:31.6. Finishing 31st was freshman Tatum Olesen in 22:15.2, while senior Luci Ilnicki Lambert placed 33rd in 22:18.2.
The men’s 8k B race started 40 minutes later, with graduate student Scott Sikorski finishing in 20th in 25:29.9 and freshman Jimmy Wischusen earning 29th in 26:06.0. The field had 46 total runners.
Next up was the women’s 6k championship, which began with a very aggressive start. The Cavaliers, who entered the race ranked No. 16 nationally, started out strong in the first 2,000 meters of the race, holding the first-place team spot.
However, as the race went on, the team dropped to fifth place by the 4,000-meter mark, finally settling into 11th place with an overall score of 304 points, well off Washington’s mark of 110.
Villanova junior Sadie Sigfstead claimed first place in 19:55.7, winning by almost eight seconds in a field of 190 runners. Senior Jenny Schilling, the club runner turned varsity powerhouse, was the first Virginia runner to cross the finish line with a time of 20:33.4, which granted her 20th place. Just over five seconds later, sophomore Gillian Bushee followed in 26th place in 20:39.1.
Senior Camryn Menninger finished in 82nd in 21:18.9, with junior Mary Ellen Eudaly two spots behind in 21:19.8. Right on their heels were sophomore Cate DeSousa with a time of 21:22.9, senior Sophie Atkinson clocking 21:25.2 and sophomore Tatum David posting a time of 21:28.6. Freshman Sarah Peer finished in 21:40.7 to round out the women’s meet for Virginia.
The men’s 8k championship kicked off shortly after the women concluded, and although the No. 15 Cavaliers stayed in a tight pack initially, they began to fall back later in the race. Virginia was fourth at the 2,000-meter mark, holding steady in 7th place through the 4,000-meter and 6,000-meter marks before dropping down to 11th place by the end.
Senior Parker Wolfe of North Carolina finished the men’s 8k in 23:04.0 for first place out of 179 finishers. Juniors Will Anthony and Gary Martin stayed close to each other throughout the race and were the first Virginia runners to finish, with Anthony in 15th in 23:45.7 and Martin in 18th with a time of 23:49.8.
Following them were seniors Justin Wachtel in 92nd in 24:35.7 and Jack Eliason in 95th after clocking 24:38.0, as well as freshman Adam Balewicz three places later in 24:38.9. Seniors Jacob Hunter and Wes Porter finished next, posting times of 24:51.7 and 25:06.0, respectively. Senior Billy Atkinson finished seven seconds later with a time of 25:13.4.
Brigham Young dominated the men’s race with an overall score of 44 points, and the Virginia men finished with 313 points.
This was a largely unfamiliar course to the Cavaliers, giving a significant advantage to the other teams. However, they were able to achieve a very symmetrical 11th place finish, and if they come back next year, they will likely be more prepared.
“Overall it was a solid effort for the men and women,” Vin Lananna, director of track and field and cross country, said. “We will get back to work and get ready for our next home meet.”
Virginia’s next race is the Panorama Farms Invitational on the team’s home course in Charlottesville. The meet will take place Oct. 19.
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