CEDAR CITY, Utah — Utah Valley University's 30th-ranked women's cross country team notched a perfect score with
Oakley Olson winning the individual title at the Color Country Invitational on Friday morning at Cedar Ridge Golf Course.
Mo Guled also led the UVU men to the team title, backing up his win at the Roy Griak with his third victory of the season.
The Wolverine women had the top seven finishers, with Olson again leading the squad with a 4k time of 13:56.26.
Anna Martin (13:58.35) was second, followed by
Ari Trimble (14:01.71),
Caila Odekirk (14:03.06), Liz Zwahlen (14:10.03),
Allie Warner (14:11.16), and
Julie Sumsion (14:12.09). Utah Valley's perfect score of 15 points was followed by host Southern Utah in second with 57 points.
"The girls did a good job running as a group and finished really strong. They're running confident and Oakley is really competing at a great level," said UVU head coach
Scott Houle. "We're excited with how they're looking as we get ready for Pre-Nationals in two weeks. That's a big week for us to go there and show who we are."
Guled won the men's 6k in 18:05.89, nearly 20 seconds clear of the second place finisher. It's his third meet championship of the season and second in a row. His win at the Roy Griak earned him the USTFCCCA National DI Athlete of the Week.
"Mo looked great. He coasted the first two laps and really started putting things together on the last lap. The guys are really starting to develop into a solid team. Once we have everyone ready to go I think there's a chance to do some things we've never done," Houle said. "I'm excited where we're going and looking forward to the next couple of races."
Gilbert Olivas (18:31.80) was Utah Valley's next finisher, followed by
Wyatt Mortenson (18:35.93) in fifth.
Tate James (18:50.93),
Andrew Blackham (19:03.49), and
Cayden Tupper (19:03.50) rounded out the five scorers. The men finished with 24 points with the host T-Birds in second with 47 points.
The 2024 Wisconsin Pre-Nationals will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison.
