TicketsThe men's team took first place of the six teams in attendance, claiming five of the top ten spots for UC. The women's team took third of seven teams behind Butler and Ball State.
Alec Sandusky placed first overall in the men's 6k with a time of 17:42.00.
An amazing start to the season for @AlecSandusky as he finished 1st in the men's 6k at the Butler Twilight Invite with a time of 17:42 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/FxSaf8aWuc
— Cincinnati TF & XC (@GoBearcatsTFXC) September 4, 2021
Men's head coach Lucas Rothenberger said of his team's performance: "I'm really happy with how our guys ran today. They ran super disciplined and tough. They are just slowly starting to realize the potential they have. It's an exciting time to be a part of this program"
Ellie Leather was the top finisher for the women, placing 5th with a time of 17:51.00.Head coach for the women's team, Lara Rogers, thought "It was great to get back to racing-the environment, the mindset. We busted some rust, but that was expected. Our goals lie far into the season and to get there ready we've taken a slower approach this year. I'm excited to continue putting in more work with this group and really build on what we've already done. We only lost one of our Top 7 from last year and I expect this group is going to have a great fall."
Men's Race
Many UC runners ran with the top pack throughout the entire 6k. Sandusky hung with the top 3 and really pulled away during the last 1k to cross the line first. Tyler Wirth, Jon Harley, Toni Banos, and Ryan Pehlman also ran in the top group for a majority of the race, ending up in 4th, 5th, 6th , and 9th respectively with times of 18:08.0, 18:11.0, 18:16.6 and 18:21.50
Our men took 5 of the top 10 spots with @wirthy_11 Jon Harley @Toniibanyos and Ryan Pehlman helping them win the first place team title! #GoBearcatsTfXC pic.twitter.com/RDpkMzEJK7
— Cincinnati TF & XC (@GoBearcatsTFXC) September 4, 2021
Women's Race
The women's race began to separate earlier in the 5k with Leather taking off with the top pack of runners. They spaced out even more toward the end of the race, enabling Leather to cross the line in 5th. Maddie Walker made up a lot of ground in the second half of the race, ending up in 8th with a time of 18:02.0.
Our ladies started off the season strong with @leather_ellie _ and Maddie Walker both finishing in the top 10 tonight! #GoBearcatsTFXC pic.twitter.com/zotowICLPn
— Cincinnati TF & XC (@GoBearcatsTFXC) September 4, 2021
Next Up
The Bearcats have a weekend break before heading to Cedarville, Ohio to race in the All-Ohio Championship Friday, September 17th.
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