Trio of Dawgs finish in the top ten at European Athletics Cross Country Champs...
David-Smith, a native of Issaquah who holds dual citizenship with the USA and France, was part of a group of six running up front in the 5.96k race, led early on by Ireland's Anika Thompson, a cross country All-American at the University of Oregon in 2024, and this year's European U23 champ at 10000 meters.
Thompson's front running didn't pay off as she began to fade after the second of four loops of the very technical course that featured a number of twists and turns over a course made primarily of wood chips, unlike most American cross country courses that have long stretches of grass and contested either on golf courses or dedicated cross country courses.
Spain's Maria Forero won the race in 19:59, five seconds ahead of Finland's Ilona Mononen.
David-Smith, the fifth year senior who only ran the season opening meet for the Huskies against Seattle University this fall before being sidelined with an injury, finished the race in a time of 20:37, 38 seconds behind the winner.
Despite Germany's 3-4 individual finish, their third scorer placed 14th, while France got all three scorers inside the top ten, finishing 5-7-9 for a score of 21 points. France's third scorer in ninth was the tie breaker giving the Blues the European title.
In the senior women's 7.4k race, Washington alum Amina Maatoug (photo courtesy Dutch Athletics Federation) of the Netherlands finished sixth in 25:36, as Italy's Nadia Battocletti, the heavy favorite, took the victory in 24:52 over the five-lap course, winning her second straight title.
Maatoug's Dutch team finished fifth with 47 points, as Belgium took the senior women's title with 16 points.
In the final race of the day, Washington alum Brian Fay's (left/photo courtesy Athletics Ireland) tenth place finish helped give Ireland its first team medal in twenty five years in the senior men's 7.4k race.
Fay was Ireland's second runner across the line in tenth, running 22:31 to pull his teammate Cormac Dalton across the line in eleventh in the same time.
Combined with Jack O'Leary's fifth place finish six seconds ahead, the Irish scored 26 points, as they finished just behind team champion Spain's 16 points.
In a bit of an upset, Spain's Thierry Ndikumwenayo took advantage of a slight stumble with less than 30 meters to go from world 10000 meter champion Jimmy Gressier of France to win the men's individual title.
Gressier appeared to catch his shoe on the grass, causing him to lose his stride as the two engaged in a dead sprint to the finish.
Ndikumwenayo won in 22:05, as Gressier jogged to the finish three seconds back after the stumble.
NOTE: European Athletics, the University of Washington, Athletics Ireland, the Dutch Athletics Federation, and the French Athletics Federation contributed to this report.
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