CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Arizona Cross Country competed in the UVA XC 23 Invitational hosted by the University of Virginia on Saturday. The Pre-Nationals' competition served as a precursor to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, which will be hosted at the same location, Panorama Farms, in November. Ian Sanchez Lopez and Sailor Hutton ended as the Wildcats' top finishers in the highly competitive day of racing.
 
The young Arizona Men's team was a late addition to the Blue Race (Championship) at the UVA XC 23 Invitational this week and got experience running against some of the best teams in the nation. For the first time this season, Ian Sanchez Lopez finished first for the team, clocking a time of 24:22.8 in the 8k. He was followed by Iker Sanchez Lopez (24:55.6) and freshman Michael Urbanski (24:55.8). Urbanski's third place finish for the team was his highest this season, as he jumped 11 spots in the final 1k of the race. Rounding out the team's top-five finishers were Cooper Quigley and Noah Jodon, who placed fourth and fifth for the team. Ian Sanchez Lopez was the lone Wildcat to place in the top-75 of the highly competitive race.
 
In the Orange Race (B), the Arizona Women were led by Sailor Hutton once again, who has finished first for the team at all their competitions so far this season. Hutton placed 25th in the 6k race with a time of 21:28.1. Alisa Lyesina finished second for the team right behind Hutton with a time of 21:28.5 in 26th. Freshman Sorcha Shiu followed Lyesina as the team's third runner, placing 47th. For the second straight competition, the Arizona Women got a scoring contribution from an Arizona triathlete, this time with Molly Lakustiak finishing fourth for the team in her first collegiate 6k. Additionally, Johnnie Mitchell ended as the team's fifth-place runner.
 
As a team, the Arizona Men placed 23rd overall with a score of 601. The Arizona Women finished 12th with a score of 245 in their race, and 36th overall.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will now head into the postseason with their next meet being the Pac-12 Championships on October 27 hosted by the University of Washington in University Place, Wash.
 
ARIZONA MEN'S RESULTS (BLUE RACE)
75. Ian Sanchez Lopez – 24:22.8
132. Iker Sanchez Lopez – 24:55.6
133. Michael Urbanski – 24:55.8
154. Cooper Quigley – 25:14.7
156. Noah Jodon – 25:16.5
176. Brennan Foody – 26:03.5
177. Gibson Kibia – 26:16.8
181. Andrew Gibby – 26:33.2
 
ARIZONA WOMEN'S RESULTS (ORANGE RACE)
25. Sailor Hutton – 21:28.1
26. Alisa Lyesina – 21:28.5
47. Sorcha Shiu – 21:57.5
110. Molly Lakustiak (Triathlon) – 22:53.3
130. Johnnie Mitchell – 23:14.7
140. Sage Patzer – 23:26.4
 

Blue Race (Championship)
1. Arkansas – 35
2. Tennessee – 89
3. Virginia – 112
4. Montana State – 137
5. Purdue – 215
6. Wyoming – 220
7. Santa Clara – 283
8. Miami (Ohio) – 323
9. Virginia Tech – 324
10. Yale – 338
11. Duke – 360
12. Cornell – 368
13. La Salle – 371
14. Weber State – 372
15. Kansas – 374
16. Dartmouth – 376
17. Penn – 388
18. Washington State – 413
19. Pittsburgh – 431
20. Liberty – 437
21. Lipscomb – 456
22. Minnesota – 465
23. Arizona – 601

Orange Race (B)
1. UMass Lowell – 49
2. Missouri – 73
3. George Washington – 113
4. William & Mary – 116
5. Kansas State – 139
6. Richmond – 165
7. Ohio – 171
8. Kent State – 177
9. High Point – 198
10. Queens (N.C.) – 215
11. Elon - 29

Blue Race (Championship)
1. BYU – 32
2. Arkansas – 90
3. Virginia – 104
4. Oregon – 117
5. Tennessee – 135
6. Wake Forest – 218
7. Cal Poly – 301
8. Michigan – 326
9. Washington State – 345
10. Villanova – 351
11. Montana State – 358
12. Pittsburgh – 362
13. Wyoming – 367
14. Quinnipiac – 370
15. Virginia Tech – 373
16. Penn – 386
17. Dartmouth – 409
18. Ohio – 429
19. Minnesota – 491
20. Liberty – 493
21. Missouri – 529
22. Vanderbilt – 530
23. Purdue – 538
24. Maryland – 563
 
Orange Race (B)
1. Kansas State – 116
2. Richmond – 139
3. Weber State – 146
4. Yale – 148
5. Kansas – 150
6. Cornell – 153
7. High Point – 179
8. George Washington – 182
9. Miami (Ohio) – 194
10. William & Mary – 195
11. Charlotte – 244
12. Arizona – 245
13. UMass Lowell – 247
14. Elon – 275
15. Kent State - 435