
Madeline Lage
Photo by: Jay Slagle
Freshmen Lead Cross Country at Greeno/Dirksen Invitational
9/21/2024 11:34:00 AM | Men's Cross Country / Track, Women's Cross Country / Track
LINCOLN, Neb. -- A pair of freshmen led the Creighton Cross Country teams on Saturday morning at the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational at Mahoney State Park in Lincoln, Neb.
The Bluejays ran five freshmen on the day, holding back many of its veteran leaders for next week's Gans Creek Classic.
"A solid day for our athletes who raced," said head coach Chris Gannon. "We gained some experience for some people who don't have a lot of college racing under their belt and that was the big goal before getting into the heart of the season. Mads, Bella and Diego ran well as freshmen and you could tell they were a lot more comfortable and confident than two weeks ago. Good progress for September, and we're looking forward to taking our top groups to Gans Creek next week for a national caliber competition."
Diego Barron was the top Bluejay finisher in the men's race, placing 73rd with a time of 26:49.2 on the 8K course. Junior Jonathan Lukas placed 93rd in 27:06.2, just ahead of senior Jack Sorensen (104th; 27:18.1), freshman Gus Lampe (144th, 27:57.6) and junior Eli Moore (146th, 28:00.9). The men's race included 346 participants.
The men's race was won by Iowa Western's Geofrey Ronoh in a time of 234:41.9, good for a 30 second victory over teammate Barnabas Ndiwa (24:11.5). Iowa Western won the team title as well with a score of 45, finishing ahead of Division I competitors Nebraska (65) and Air Force (129). Creighton placed 16th in the 26-team field with 444 points in the men's race.
The Creighton women were led by Madeline Lage, who finished the 5K course in a time of 19:07.5 to place 47th. It was a 17-second improvement over Lage's collegiate debut two weeks ago in the Platte River Rumble Gold race.
Junior Sophia Valentine placed 100th, crossing the finish line in 20:15.4. Freshmen Bella Gomez (113th, 20:33.1) and Alaire Serell (139th, 21:02.5) also competed for CU. There were 237 competitors in the women's race.
Northern Colorado's Regina Mpigachai won the women's race in a time of 17:00.9, outpacing Nebraska standouts Ali Bainbridge (17:37.4) and Brynna McQuillen (17:44.3). Nebraska won the 23-team women's race with 39 points to upset No. 30 Iowa State (65). Creighton did not factor into the team scoring since it did not have the minimum of five women complete the race.
Creighton is back in action next Friday morning at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo
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The Bluejays ran five freshmen on the day, holding back many of its veteran leaders for next week's Gans Creek Classic.
"A solid day for our athletes who raced," said head coach Chris Gannon. "We gained some experience for some people who don't have a lot of college racing under their belt and that was the big goal before getting into the heart of the season. Mads, Bella and Diego ran well as freshmen and you could tell they were a lot more comfortable and confident than two weeks ago. Good progress for September, and we're looking forward to taking our top groups to Gans Creek next week for a national caliber competition."
Diego Barron was the top Bluejay finisher in the men's race, placing 73rd with a time of 26:49.2 on the 8K course. Junior Jonathan Lukas placed 93rd in 27:06.2, just ahead of senior Jack Sorensen (104th; 27:18.1), freshman Gus Lampe (144th, 27:57.6) and junior Eli Moore (146th, 28:00.9). The men's race included 346 participants.
The men's race was won by Iowa Western's Geofrey Ronoh in a time of 234:41.9, good for a 30 second victory over teammate Barnabas Ndiwa (24:11.5). Iowa Western won the team title as well with a score of 45, finishing ahead of Division I competitors Nebraska (65) and Air Force (129). Creighton placed 16th in the 26-team field with 444 points in the men's race.
The Creighton women were led by Madeline Lage, who finished the 5K course in a time of 19:07.5 to place 47th. It was a 17-second improvement over Lage's collegiate debut two weeks ago in the Platte River Rumble Gold race.
Junior Sophia Valentine placed 100th, crossing the finish line in 20:15.4. Freshmen Bella Gomez (113th, 20:33.1) and Alaire Serell (139th, 21:02.5) also competed for CU. There were 237 competitors in the women's race.
Northern Colorado's Regina Mpigachai won the women's race in a time of 17:00.9, outpacing Nebraska standouts Ali Bainbridge (17:37.4) and Brynna McQuillen (17:44.3). Nebraska won the 23-team women's race with 39 points to upset No. 30 Iowa State (65). Creighton did not factor into the team scoring since it did not have the minimum of five women complete the race.
Creighton is back in action next Friday morning at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo
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Players Mentioned
Creighton Cross Country's Matthew Fayers Media Availability - 9/3/25
Wednesday, September 03
Creighton Cross Country Media Availability - 8/27/25
Wednesday, August 27
Creighton Media Availability - 8/20/25
Thursday, August 21
Creighton Javelin thrower Jacob Ludwick - NCAA First Round (5/28/25)
Wednesday, May 28