Cross country competes in Mountaineer Invite

Blake Graf was the highest finisher for both the men's and women's teams with a place of 6th

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On Saturday the Colorado Mesa University cross country team participated in the Mountaineer invite over in Gunnison, Colo. The Mavericks placed 2nd in the women’s 5K, while the men placed 3rd in the 8K.

For the men, the highest-placed Maverick was Blake Graf, who finished with a time of 27:09.20 to finish 6th. Mako Watanabe was next for the Mavs, finishing 11th with a time of 27:24.00.

The host Western State took home the crown in the men’s event, powered by Taylor Stack and Russ Husch, who finished first and second respectively. The Mountaineers had three runners in the top 10, with Bryan Bird placing 9th and allowing the Mountaineers to get the victory on their home soil.

On the women’s side, Western State ended up placing first as well by a considerable margin. The hosts finished with a mere 17 points, with the Mavericks placing in a distant second with 74 points. Ashlyn Brent was the highest-placing Maverick coming in 10th place with a 19:46.00 time. Abby Oglesby finished with a time of 20:05.00 to earn her 13th place.

It was a shock to see none of Adams State’s four All-Americans not place in the top 10 for the women’s race, but they decided to jog rather than go full speed.

Next week, the team will participate in the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday.