Friday, October 14
Ashland, Neb. (Olsson XC Course at Mahoney State Park)
1:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
Platte River Rumble (6K)
Tommy Ward
Photo by: Catherine Grosdidier
Koca & Ward Lead Cross Country In Inaugural Platte River Rumble
10/14/2022 5:13:00 PM | Men's Cross Country / Track, Women's Cross Country / Track
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Creighton men finish fourth and women sixth at Mahoney State Park
ASHLAND, Neb. -- A record-setting time from Tommy Ward led the Creighton men's cross country team to a fourth place finish and Morgan Koca paced the Bluejay women to a sixth place showing at the inaugural Platte River Rumble on Friday, Oct. 14.
"Today was an incredible moment for our program, on so many levels," said head coach Chris Gannon. "We competed and ran fast times. Tommy breaking the all-time best performance of Marcos, just two weeks ago is special, and Morgan and Cara moved up on the all-time list. There were lots of PR's."
A sophomore from Maryville, Tenn., Ward placed 13th and set a school-record 8K time of 24:32.4, one second faster than the mark set by teammate Marcos Gonzalez in the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 30 in CU's last race. Previously, that record had been set by Peter Cole in 2007. Today also marked the first time that Ward was Creighton's top finisher this season.
Gonzalez led the field of 149 runners after three kilometers before finishing in 21st place with a time of 24:57.4. He had been CU's top performer in each of the first three meets of the fall. Just five seconds behind Gonzalez was sophomore Ryan Montera (25:02.5), who came in 25th place. Rounding out CU's scoring contingent were Jake Ziebarth (25:30.1) in 38th place and Eli Moore (25.41.1) in 44th place.
Nebraska-Kearney won the nine-team men's race with a score of 42, five points better than Augustana (S.D.). Simpson's Spencer Moon won the men's race with a time of 23:34.2, which was 11.6 seconds better than UNK's Luke Stuckey.
The Bluejay women were led by Koca for the third straight race. The junior from Shawnee, Kan., crossed the finish line in 21:42.6 to establish a personal best and move into CU's top-10 at the distance.
Freshman Caroline Rupper (21:53.9) was just 11 seconds behind Koca, which was good for 13th place.
Carly Manchester (22:24.5) placed 27th, Siobhan Stoll (23:01.1) took 39th and Anika Nettekoven (23:12.0) was CU's fifth-fastest performer and 46th-best runner overall. The Bluejays once again raced without All-Conference performer Danielle Hotalling due to injury.
Three runners in the top eight helped Nebraska-Kearney win the 10-team women's race by 10 points over Northwest Missouri State. The 125-runner women's race was won by Caroline Cunningham from Northwest Missouri State in a time of 20:42.2, more than 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Kamryn Ensley (21:02.4) of Omaha.
"This event will elevate our program," added Gannon. "The course was fast and the atmosphere was fantastic. We have some improvements for year two but are excited for the future. As we say, Eyes Up, future is bright!"
Both races were held at Olsson Cross Country Course at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb., with the Omaha Sports Commission, Creighton and the University of Nebraska-Omaha co-hosting the event.
The Bluejays return to the course on Oct. 29 in Highland Park, Mass., at the BIG EAST Championships.
"Today was an incredible moment for our program, on so many levels," said head coach Chris Gannon. "We competed and ran fast times. Tommy breaking the all-time best performance of Marcos, just two weeks ago is special, and Morgan and Cara moved up on the all-time list. There were lots of PR's."
A sophomore from Maryville, Tenn., Ward placed 13th and set a school-record 8K time of 24:32.4, one second faster than the mark set by teammate Marcos Gonzalez in the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 30 in CU's last race. Previously, that record had been set by Peter Cole in 2007. Today also marked the first time that Ward was Creighton's top finisher this season.
Gonzalez led the field of 149 runners after three kilometers before finishing in 21st place with a time of 24:57.4. He had been CU's top performer in each of the first three meets of the fall. Just five seconds behind Gonzalez was sophomore Ryan Montera (25:02.5), who came in 25th place. Rounding out CU's scoring contingent were Jake Ziebarth (25:30.1) in 38th place and Eli Moore (25.41.1) in 44th place.
Nebraska-Kearney won the nine-team men's race with a score of 42, five points better than Augustana (S.D.). Simpson's Spencer Moon won the men's race with a time of 23:34.2, which was 11.6 seconds better than UNK's Luke Stuckey.
The Bluejay women were led by Koca for the third straight race. The junior from Shawnee, Kan., crossed the finish line in 21:42.6 to establish a personal best and move into CU's top-10 at the distance.
Freshman Caroline Rupper (21:53.9) was just 11 seconds behind Koca, which was good for 13th place.
Carly Manchester (22:24.5) placed 27th, Siobhan Stoll (23:01.1) took 39th and Anika Nettekoven (23:12.0) was CU's fifth-fastest performer and 46th-best runner overall. The Bluejays once again raced without All-Conference performer Danielle Hotalling due to injury.
Three runners in the top eight helped Nebraska-Kearney win the 10-team women's race by 10 points over Northwest Missouri State. The 125-runner women's race was won by Caroline Cunningham from Northwest Missouri State in a time of 20:42.2, more than 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Kamryn Ensley (21:02.4) of Omaha.
"This event will elevate our program," added Gannon. "The course was fast and the atmosphere was fantastic. We have some improvements for year two but are excited for the future. As we say, Eyes Up, future is bright!"
Both races were held at Olsson Cross Country Course at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb., with the Omaha Sports Commission, Creighton and the University of Nebraska-Omaha co-hosting the event.
The Bluejays return to the course on Oct. 29 in Highland Park, Mass., at the BIG EAST Championships.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
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