Lumberjacks Go Low With 46 Points at Nuttycombe

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Reigning NCAA champion Northern Arizona stuffed four runners into the top eight Friday at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational and won the men's team title with 46 points.

Top-ranked NAU went four points lower than it did in 2017 behind a lineup of Tyler Day (third), Luis Grijalva (fifth), Peter Lomong (seventh) and Blaise Ferro (eighth). Fifth scorer Geordie Beamish was 23rd. 

Morgan McDonald and Alicia Monson gave the home team plenty to cheer about, as the Badger duo won the individual honors. McDonald ran 23:17.6 over 8 kilometers and led Wisconsin to a second-place finish with 135 points. Portland finished third with 140. 

Monson ran 19:33.3 for 6K and beat a talented field that included defending NCAA individual cross country champion Ednah Kurgat of New Mexico (third), NCAA track champion (2017 indoor 3,000) Dani Jones of Colorado (fourth), and NCAA steeplechase champion Allie Ostrander of Boise State (fifth).  

Jones and her teammates won the team title with 80 points, followed by Boise State with 91 and reigning national champion New Mexico third with 130. 

The Lobos put three runners in the top seven -- with Weini Kelati second, Kurgat third and Charlotte Prouse seventh. Talented newcomer Adva Cohen was 35th and Hannah Nuttall was 83rd. 

Colorado had four in the top 20, with Jones (fourth), Makena Morley (sixth), Sage Hurta (13th) and Tabor Scholl (19th). Tayler Tuttle rounded out the Buffaloes' scoring with her 38th place.