SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Bruin men's and women's cross country squads opened their 2023 season on Friday night in Sioux Falls with their inaugural entry into the Augustana Twilight Cross Country Meet. Thirty-seven teams from NCAA Division I to junior college ran under the lights at Yankton Trails Park. Conditions were warm even after sundown, with temperatures in the mid-80s and a warm south wind.
The women's five-kilometer event was underway at 8:30 p.m. as over 350 athletes crowded the starting line. The course consisted of a lighted one-mile loop that the runners covered three times. The Bruins were led by 2022 NAIA All-American Madison Nelson, who crossed the finish in 19:09.6, good for 55th place overall. Nelson finished fourth among NAIA entries. Nebraska-Lincoln put four of their scorers in the top ten to take home the women's title. The second runner for the Bruins was freshman Alicia Rivera Camargo. She finished 157th in 20:58.1 in her cross country debut. Olivia Russo finished in 263rd, running 22:34.8, and freshman Ashley Guatemala crossed in 25:26.0 for 338th place.
The men's race went off after 9:00 p.m. with 358 entries. Coming off a great summer of training, Richard Marcoux ran to an eye-opening 39th place finish covering the four-loop four-mile course in 20:25.8. Marcoux was the second NAIA finisher, just two seconds behind a Midland University athlete. SDSU won a narrow team championship over St. Thomas of Minnesota. Second for the Bruins was Collin Kotz, with a fine 22:18.1 effort and 185th place. Kaleb Wooten crossed in 23:10.8 for 251st, and he was followed by two freshmen making their collegiate debuts. Enoc Ortega was 312th in 24:46.2, while Robbie Siford completed the race in 25:23.2 in 326th, running most of the race with just one shoe, having lost it right after the start. The Bruin men finished 26th among 32 scoring teams.
Head Coach Craig Christians: "This was a really unique and fun event, and I'm proud of the way that all of the women and men ran. We've been focusing on building endurance so I'm sure it was a shock to jump into a race like that, especially with the high quality field. I feel good about our start and see good things down the road."
The Bruins will train for two weeks and then travel to Lincoln, Neb., on September 16 for the Greeno/Dirksen Invite hosted by Nebraska and Nebraska Wesleyan. It will once again feature athletes from all divisions and be a great test for the team.
