OREM, Utah – Behind an individual victory from Mazzie Melaney Preston and a runner-up finish from Maddie Bench Empey, the Utah Valley University women's cross country team opened the 2021 campaign by winning the UVU Invitational on Friday evening at Lakeside Park in Orem. The men's team also ran well in the opening-season meet by placing second thanks to an individual victory from Britain Reynolds and a sixth-place finish from Hawk Call. 
 
A total of five Wolverine women posted top-10 finishes on the day, as Maggie Zwahlen placed fifth in the women's 5K (18:35.5), Taylor Viertel sixth (18:44.2), and Kate Richardson 10th (18:58.3). Melaney Preston won the women's race with a blazing time of 17:56.8, while the defending NCAA qualifier Bench Empey finished just behind her to claim second with a time of 18:07.1. The women's team won the meet by recording 24 total points. Utah placed second with 50, while Southern Utah finished third with 70, Idaho State fourth (95), and Dixie State fifth (131). 
 
"Our women's team had a really strong opening race. We obviously have a number of athletes who haven't ran in a while, and I was impressed with how they sat back a bit and then were able to turn it on there in the second half of the race," head UVU coach Scott Houle said. "It was fun to see Mazzie and Maddie make those moves as well as how close together the back end of our team stayed too. I'm proud of our girls for how they competed."
 
Reynolds, who too is a returning NCAA qualifier for the Wolverines, won the men's 5K with an impressive time of 14:54.6. Call was next for the UVU men by taking sixth with a time of 15:24.0, while the freshman Max Mahon placed ninth (15:31.5), Austin Hone 12th (15:40.6), and Kale Sharp 15th (15:45.9), as the Wolverine men had five top-15 finishers. As a whole, the men's team finished just eight points back of SUU (29) for second place with 37 points, while Dixie State finished third with 87. 
 
"Britain is just Britain! He goes out and runs and has fun, and it was no surprise to me that he was able to win it," Houle added. "Overall, our men's team ran pretty well. We faded off a bit there at the end, but all-in-all I'm happy with today's performance and feel that we should be improved from where we were at last season." 
 
In the women's 5K, Miah Weaver Chambers also had a strong performance for UVU on Friday by placing 12th with a time of 19:02.0, while Abby Linford also ran well by placing 17th (19:25.5), followed by freshman Agnieszka Lubowska 24th (19:55.0) and Alysa Lindley 25th (19:57.6). On the men's side, newcomer Joe Benson had a nice opening meet by taking 16th with a time of 15:46.6, followed by Max Burton in 20th (16:04.8), Joshua Peters 21st (16:05.2), Cameron Jacobs 22nd (16:05.2) and Habtamu Cheney 23rd (16:06.8). 
 
The Wolverines will next head to Stillwater, Okla., to take part at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 18. Following the meet, UVU will head to Pocatello, Idaho to compete at the Idaho State Invitational on Sept. 25. 


Mazzie Melaney Preston