ASHLAND, Neb. -- The Bruin cross country teams competed in Friday's Platte River Rumble meet at Mahoney State Park and faced very talented fields as well as challenging conditions. The meet, hosted by Creighton and UN-Omaha, featured several top squads from NCAA Division I to junior college. Dark skies and a light mist at the start of the women's race gave way to showers and gusty winds by the time the men were finishing up their race.
Wearing race bib number 13, Madison Nelson led the Bruins with a 13th place finish on this Friday the 13th. Bad omens aside, Nelson cruised to a fine 22:28.2 time over the muddy six-kilometer course in the field of 115 finishers. The second finisher for the Bruins was Alicia Rivera Camargo, crossing the finish line in 26:19.3 in 98th place. Olivia Russo was four spots back in 102nd running 27:18.7, while Alyssa Brandes, temporarily trading in her Bruin soccer cleats for a pair of running shoes, made her cross country debut running 30:10.3 in 111th. The team champion was the University of Nebraska, with five runners in the top nine, led by the Husker's Berlyn Schutz winning with a 20:47.7 time.
By the start of the men's eight-kilometer race, precipitation had become more steady, and gusty winds kicked up to add further challenge to the race. The Bruins ran just a limited squad of two athletes in anticipation of next week's Blazing Tiger NAIA showcase on the same course. Freshman Robbie Siford finished in 116th in the 129-runner field as he crossed the finish in 30:11.7. Three positions behind Siford was Enoc Ortega in 31:01.2.
The team champion was the host Creighton men, while Kgadi Monyebodi of Colby Community College took home the individual crown in 23:33.8.
Head Coach Craig Christians: "I was really proud of the way our athletes handled the challenge today. I wanted our younger runners to get some more experience, and now they know that every race isn't going to sunshine and daisies. I saw a lot of determination…today's race was both a physical and mental challenge and our performance was excellent."
The Bruins have one final regular season meet next Saturday when they return to Mahoney State Park for the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic, the first time this season that they face an all-NAIA field. Then, two weeks later, they travel to LaCrosse, Wis., for the NSAA Cross Country Championship.
