Women Finish Second, Men Take Fourth at Season Opener

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Cross country kicked off their season on Saturday at the George Kyte Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz. where the women's side placed second and the men took fourth.

Grace Driskill led the women's team in the 2.5 mile race, crossing the finish line in 16:00.7 to take seventh.

"Grace had an amazing finish with a strong kick at the end," said head cross country coach Bernard Lagat. "She stuck to the strategy and didn't look back."

Driskill was followed by Meggie Karp in 11th with a time of 16:19.1. A total of five Wildcats finished in the top 20 with Peyton Heiden coming in 18th (16:55.1), Maddy Christopher in 19th (17:02.8) and Megan Bounds in 20th (17:09.7).

On the men's side, Shem Kemboi was Arizona's top finisher with a 4.5 mile PR time of 23:53.3 and a 12th place finish. He was followed by Bradley Rzewnicki who clocked a time of 24.26.5 to take 19th.

The women's team placed second overall with a score of 59 and the men finished fourth with a score of 102.

"It was a successful day," said coach Lagat. "We came here for some good training and competition and to give us a sense of where we are as a team. The women performed so great and the men did as well. The athletes look really great and the freshmen stepped up really well. This is one of the more successful first races that we have had in a while. We are ready for the season."

Next up, the Wildcats will travel to Riverside, Calif. to compete in the UC Riverside Invitational. A complete recap of the meet will be posted to ArizonaWildcats.com. You can also follow @ArizonaTrack on twitter throughout the day for live updates.

Women's 2.5 Mile Results
7. Grace Driskill - 16:00.7
11. Meggie Karp - 16:19.1
18. Peyton Heiden - 16:55.1
19. Maddy Christopher - 17:02.8
20. Megan Bounds - 17:09.7
30. Tenley Hughes - 17:48.5
38. Johnnie Mitchell - 18:14.7
41. Aurora Barkley - 18:27.0
44. Zoe Andersen - 18:41.3

Men's 4.5 Mile Results
12. Shem Kemboi - 23:53.3
19. Bradley Rzewnicki - 24:26.5
23. Timothy Kibet - 24:41.9
35. Brandon Bounds - 25:20.3
39. Luke Biondolillo - 25:43.5
40. Jeffrey Sillers - 25:45.8
49. Ayden Schilb - 26:11.9

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Players Mentioned

Luke Biondolillo: Sophomore

Brandon Bounds: Sophomore

Megan Bounds: Senior

Maddy Christopher: Junior

Grace Driskill: Sophomore

Peyton Heiden: Junior

Meggie Karp: Redshirt Junior

Shem Kemboi: Junior

Timothy Kibet: Junior

Bradley Rzewnicki: Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Luke Biondolillo
: Sophomore

Brandon Bounds
: Sophomore

Megan Bounds
: Senior

Maddy Christopher
: Junior

Grace Driskill
: Sophomore

Peyton Heiden
: Junior

Meggie Karp
: Redshirt Junior

Shem Kemboi
: Junior

Timothy Kibet
: Junior

Bradley Rzewnicki
: Sophomore