Gonzaga's Rosina Machu wins Lakefront Invitational to lead squad to fifth place finish...


CHICAGO--
Rosina Machu of Gonzaga (photo courtesy Gonzaga Athletics) led from gun to tape to win the women's 6k race at the Lakefront Invitational at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course Friday morning.

Machu, the sophomore from Boise, Idaho, had a two second lead over the field at the first kilometer, and expanded it to 23 seconds at the halfway mark, crossing it in 9:27.

Machu stopped the watch at 19:21, with her closest competitor, Ohio State's Addie Engel, second in 19:45.

For the Zags, Sadie Tuckwood was their second runner, coming in 18th in 20:19, followed by Jessica Frydenlund in 20th in 20:21.

There was a gap between Frydenlund and fourth finisher Jade Rypkema, who was 39th in 20:41. Alexi Fogo was the final Gonzaga scorer, in 51st in 20:58 to give the Zags a 1-5 split of 97 seconds.

Gonzaga finished fifth with 129 points, as unranked Furman won with 58 points, followed by number 25 Ole Miss with 66 points. Number 17 Wisconsin was third with 94, with unranked Lipscomb fourth with 117 points.

The Bulldogs, who did not receive any votes in the latest USTFCCCA national coaches' poll, beat two nationally ranked teams in number 30 Ohio State, who was sixth, and number 26 Michigan, who was seventh.

In a text to publisher Paul Merca, Gonzaga women's head coach Jake Stewart said, "Rosina’s performance was outstanding! We had a pretty good idea she was fit, but to dominate the race the way she did was as impressive a performance that I’ve seen in uniform for Gonzaga. Really pleased with the team overall."

"Beating a couple nationally ranked teams along with a couple of teams receiving votes was what we wanted to do."


COUGS FINISH NINTH AND TENTH AT JOE PIANE INVITATIONAL AT NOTRE DAME...

In South Bend, Indiana, the Washington State women's team finished ninth, while the men's squad took tenth at the Joe Piane Invitational at the Burke Golf Course, hosted by Notre Dame Friday morning.

The Cougs were led by Neema Kimtai in 19th place over the 5k course, as she ran 16:57. Three places behind her was Caroline Jerotich in 17:04.

Cristina Molteni was the third WSU runner in 37th in 17:24, followed by Nicole Bissell in 64th in 17:51, and Isabela Alvarado in 118th in 18:44, giving the Cougars a 1-5 split of 1:47 and a final team score of 243 points for ninth in the 16-team field.

Doris Lemngole of Alabama was the winner in 16:06. NCAA steeplechase champion and Woodinville native Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame was sixth in 16:32, while her twin sister Andrea, a grad transfer who ran at the University of Washington, was 12th in 16:43 for the Fighting Irish.

Number 1 ranked NC State won the team tile with 44 points, followed by number 4 ranked Notre Dame with 53, and number 22 Alabama was third with 73 points.

In the men's 5 mile race, the Cougars were led by Brian Barsaiya, who finished 12th in a time of 23:45. Kelvin Limo cracked the top 20 with a 19th place finish in 23;56.

Leif Swanson was the next Cougar scorer in 71st in 24:40, followed by Micha Galeana in 81st in 24:48, while Kyle Ortega-Gammill rounded out WSU's five scorers in 87th in 24:54, giving the Cougars a 1-5 split of 69 seconds.

Number 9 ranked Notre Dame took the team title with 87 points, followed by Florida State with 95 points, and number 27 Alabama was third with 114.

Washington State's 264 points was good for tenth in the 18-team field.


NOTE: The sports information offices of Washington State University, Gonzaga University, Loyola University, the University of Notre Dame, and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.

paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below.

Comments