USTFCCCA News & Notes
MEET RECAP: 2018 Kollege Town Sports Invitational
The top-ranked teams in the field at the stacked Kollege Town Sports Invitational asserted their dominance on Saturday morning.
North Central (Ill.)’s top-ranked men and Washington (Mo.)’s second-ranked women rolled to the team titles at the de facto NCAA Division III Pre-National Invitational, which was hosted by UW-Oshkosh at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin.
2018 Kollege Town Sports Invitational |
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Men’s Teams
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Points
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Women’s Teams
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Points
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No. 1 North Central (Ill.)
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41
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No. 2 Washington (Mo.)
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70
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No. 6 Washington (Mo.)
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97
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No. 4 MIT
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108
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No. 9 Calvin
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127
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No. 18 Brandeis
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213
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No. 5 Haverford
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144
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No. 12 Wheaton (Ill.)
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236
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No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer
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277
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No. 5 UW-Eau Claire
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256
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No. 18 UW-Stout
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302
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No. 6 Carleton
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258
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No. 24 Otterbein
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305
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No. 26 U of Chicago
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273
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No. 11 Wartburg
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314
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No. 9 Hope
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277
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No. 15 U of Chicago
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314
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No. 13 Pomona-Pitzer
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285
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No. 14 MIT
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368
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No. 28 Emory
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296
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The women’s race – with 17 teams that were ranked in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll, including five of the top-10 – took the course first.
Washington (Mo.) seized control of the race a little more than halfway through the 6K distance. The Bears, led by Paige Lawler and Aly Wayne, held a 13-point lead over No. 4 MIT at the 2-mile mark and were nearly 100 points clear of No. 26 U of Chicago.
Lawler and Wayne continued to work together as they crossed the finish line in second and fifth place to lead WashU. Sophie Watterson (11th), Lisa Gorham (23rd) and Gabby McGinn (29th) weren’t too far behind as the Bears totaled 70 points in a winning effort.
MIT put three runners in the top-15 to place second. Izzi Gengaro finished 10th overall to lead the Engineers, while Leandra Zimmerman (14th) and Jenna Melanson (15th) added to their team’s strong effort against a loaded field.
Brandeis entered the meet ranked 18th in the nation, but will be due for a big move in the positive direction after finishing a surprising third. The Judges were led by Emily Bryson, who finished fourth overall.
No. 12 Wheaton (Ill.) and No. 5 UW-Eau Claire rounded out the top-5 teams.
Over in the men’s 8K race, North Central (Ill.) executed its race plan flawlessly.
The Cardinals waited until the 2-mile mark to make their move and once they did, it was game over for 16 other teams that were ranked in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll. It was at the 2-mile mark where North Central (Ill.) had five of its runners in the top-25 (none in the top-5), yet 1.5 miles later, Al Carius’ squad had four in the top-15 with three in the top-8.
Dhruvil Patel earned the individual title, while Matthew Osmulski finished runner-up. Patel and Osmulski were two of four Cardinals in the top-10 as they scored just 41 points.
No. 6 WashU posted one of its best results of the season with a runner-up finish here. The Bears put two in the top-15, led by Brad Hodkinson in ninth place.
No. 9 Calvin finished third after leading at the 2-mile mark. The Knights didn’t have any runners in the top-10, but put four in the top-30 from No. 15 to No. 29.
No. 5 Haverford and No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer rounded out the top-5 teams.
Be sure to check back Wednesday afternoon for the newest NCAA Division III Cross Country National Coaches’ Polls.