CHICAGO, Ill. – The Gonzaga women's cross country team took fifth place at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite behind a dominant win by
Rosina Machu on Friday. The event played host to 14 teams ranked in the Top-10 of their respective regional rankings, including four Top-30 nationally ranked squads.
THE RACE
Machu took the early lead in the Tom Cooney Championship 6K race and never looked back. The sophomore, just two and a half seconds ahead of the field at the 1K mark, widened her lead to 23 seconds by the 3K mark. She finished with a winning time of 19:20.3, with the closest runner being Ohio State's Addie Engel (19:44.9).
"Really pleased with the day. Rosina's performance was outstanding," head coach
Jake Stewart said. "We had a pretty good idea she was fit, but to dominate the race the way she did was as impressive a performance that I've seen in uniform for Gonzaga."
Her 24-second victory marked her first collegiate race win and shattered the previous program 6K record set by teammate
Kristen Garcia (19:44.1) at the NCAA West Regionals last fall. Machu's 19:20.3 beats her previous personal best by almost 30 seconds, a mark which she also set at the NCAA West Regionals last fall.
Gonzaga's next finisher was
Sadie Tuckwood, who took 18th place with a time of 20:19.0. Her finishing time now places sixth on the all-time program list and beats her previous best of 20:47.9 (2022 NCAA West Regional).
In her first collegiate 6K race, true freshman
Jessica Frydenlund notched a Top-20 finish, crossing in 20:20.1 to aid in the point scoring for the Zags. Teammate
Jade Rypkema, also a true freshman in her first collegiate 6K race, placed 39th, with a time of 20:40.2. Both Frydenlund and Rypkema's times are now etched in the Gonzaga record book, with Frydenlund marking the seventh best 6K time, and Rypkema now 13th all-time.
Alexi Fogo's 51st place finish rounded out the 129 team points for the Zags, finishing in 20:57.4 and just under three seconds ahead of
Brittney Hansen in 53rd (21:00.2). Both of their times are in the Top-20 all time at GU as well.
Anna Grabowski (74th, 21:19.7) and
Alicia Anderson (102nd, 21:49.7) completed the finishes of attached runners for the Zags among a tough 139-individual field.
"Beating a couple nationally ranked teams along with meeting a couple of teams receiving voted was what we wanted to do," Stewart said of his squad.
The Bulldogs' 129-point, fifth place finish knocked off 30th ranked Ohio State (Sixth, 165 points) and 26th ranked Michigan (Seventh, 170 points). Additionally, GU placed behind four teams who were ranked or received votes in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll. Furman (RV) took first with 58 team points behind two Top-10 finishes. Ole Miss (#25) placed second with 66 points, Wisconsin (#17) placed third with 94 points, and Lipscomb (RV) finished fourth with 117 points.
UP NEXT
The Zag women are back on Oct. 14 in Santa Clara, Calif. for the Bronco Invite. The race will take place at Baylands Regional Park and is hosted by Santa Clara. The Gonzaga men are in action in Walla Walla, Wash. this Saturday, Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. for the Whitman Invitational.
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