TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Men's Cross Country finished second with a season low score of 42 in the Dave Murray Invitational at the Randolph Golf Course on Friday. Iker and Ian Sanchez Lopez finished fifth and sixth overall for the team. On the women's side, Sailor Hutton was the team's top finisher and helped the Arizona Women place fourth overall.
 
"The team did an amazing job today," said Head Coach Bernard Lagat. "The men placed second against the National Champions of NAU and they ran well, executing the strategy we had. We're excited that the team is looking good and looking strong before the pre-nationals at UVA in a couple of weeks. The women did a fantastic job today as well. I'm leaving here with a lot of excitement and happiness. I'm content with what we did today, but we still have work to do before we head to the University of Virginia."
 
All five of the scoring runners for the men's team finished in the top 15 of the 8k competition. The twin duo of Iker and Ian Sanchez Lopez led the way for the team finishing fifth and sixth overall with times of 23:49.8 and 24:04.0. Cooper Quigley finished third for the team and 10th overall with a time of 24:26.8. The final two scorers included Brennan Foody, who ran a 24:41.0 and finished 12th, and Michael Urbanski, who clocked a 24:56.6 and placed 15th. Noah Jodon also notched a 25th-place finish for the team and freshman Gibson Kibia placed 30th in his first collegiate 8k.
 
The top finisher for the Arizona Women was once again Sailor Hutton, who placed 14th overall in the 6k with a time of 21:32.9. The senior leader competed in her last home meet as a Wildcat, as she will not have eligibility during the track and field season. She continued her trend of leading the women's team this season, as she has been their top finisher at all three of their competitions. Following Hutton was freshman Sorcha Shiu who placed 18th overall and ran a time of 21:54.3. Alisa Lyesina was the team's third runner and placed 21st overall.
 
However, after Lyesina, the women's side got some help from the Arizona Triathlon team, who joined forces with Cross Country and allowed two of their athletes to get some extra training in and compete at the meet. Kelly Wetteland and Dana Prikrylova were the two extra competitors for the Wildcats on the day, and the two placed fourth and fifth for the team to help them jump Arizona State placing-wise. Arizona Triathlon and their coaches' Wes Johnson and Jocelyn Bonney were recognized prior to the meet, as the program officially became the 22nd sport at the University of Arizona this year.
 
"We had triathlon athletes, Kelly and Dana, joining us today and they were able to score for the team which is amazing," said Coach Lagat.
 
In terms of team scores, the Arizona Men posted their lowest total of the season, 42, to help them finish second overall right behind the number one team in the nation: NAU. For the Arizona Women, the team placed fourth overall with a score of 101.
 
Prior to the start of the meet, Arizona's Director of Cross Country/Track & Field, Fred Harvey, honored the meet's namesake, Dave Murray, with a plaque featuring a picture of the cross country team. Murray was the Head Coach and Director of Arizona Cross Country/Track & Field from 1968-2002, is a member of the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, and still returns to meets today to help out.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will continue their season on October 14 for the UVA XC 23 Invitational in Charlottesville, Va.
 
ARIZONA MEN'S RESULTS
5. Iker Sanchez Lopez – 23:49.8
6. Ian Sanchez Lopez – 24:04.0
10. Cooper Quigley – 24:26.8
12. Brennan Foody – 24:41.0
15. Michael Urbanski – 24:56.6
25. Noah Jodon – 25:46.0
30. Gibson Kibia – 26:07.9
34. Andrew Gibby – 26:17.2
36. Parker Lehmann – 26:26.4
42. Cade Russo – 26:46.7
55. Noah Ray – 27:49.2
 
ARIZONA WOMEN'S RESULTS
14. Sailor Hutton – 21:32.9
18. Sorcha Shiu – 21:54.3
21. Alisa Lyesina – 22:17.2
27. Kelly Wetteland (Triathlon) – 22:40.3
34. Dana Prikrylova (Triathlon) – 23:08.4
39. Johnnie Mitchell – 23:20.5
50. Sage Patzer – 24:03.9
 
MEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Northern Arizona - 40
2. Arizona - 42
3. UTEP - 62
4. New Mexico State - 106
5. Grand Canyon - 119
6. El Paso CC - 149
7. Arizona State - 152
 
WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Northern Arizona - 20
2. New Mexico State - 72
3. Grand Canyon - 96
4. Arizona - 101
5. Arizona State - 120
6. UNLV - 163
7. UTEP - 167
8. El Paso CC - 235
 
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona Track and Field by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaTrack), Twitter (@ArizonaTrack), Instagram (arizonatrack) and YouTube (Youtube.com/arizonawildcatstrack) accounts.