Courtesy of Utah State Athletics
LOGAN, Utah — Utah State’s men’s and women’s cross country teams each opened the season with a team victory at the Sagebrush Invitational at the Steve & Dona Reeder Cross Country Course. The Aggies swept the team competitions in both the men’s and women’s races.
On the men’s side, junior Brennan Benson led the way with a first-place overall finish and a time of 21:25. The Aggies claimed four of the top-five places as freshman Drew Hogan placed third with a time of 21:31 and sophomores Caleb Armstrong and LJ Floyd took fourth and fifth, respectively, with times of 21:32 and 21:34. Junior Eric Nelson was the fifth Aggie across the line in seventh place with a time of 21:45.
USU finished the men’s competition with 20 points, defeating a team of Utah State Alumni, who finished with 72 points and Westminster, who placed third with 106 points.
On the women’s side, former Aggie Katie Haviland placed first overall with a time of 18:16. Westminster’s Amanda Lee finished second before Utah State claimed 15 of the following 16 places. Freshman Natalie Swain led USU with a third-place finish and a time of 18:33. Sophomore Sarah Ellis placed fifth with a time of 18:43 and freshman Shelby Jensen finished sixth with a time of 18:46. Senior Sammi Lee and freshman Brie Smith rounded out USU’s top-five finishers in seventh and eighth place, respectively, each crossing with a time of 18:53.
Next up, the Aggies have two weeks to prepare for the 2024 NCAA Mountain Regional Preview on Monday, Sept. 18, in Reno, Nevada.
For more information on the Utah State track & field/cross country programs, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC.
Sagebrush Invitational | September 2, 2023 | Logan, Utah
Women’s 5K Team Results
1. UTAH STATE – 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, (9), (10) – 29
2. Utah State Alumni – 1, 4, 19, 28, 30, (34) – 82
3. Westminster – 2, 27, 32, 33, 35 – 129
Women’s Top-Five Finishers: 1. Katie Haviland (Utah State Alumni) – 18:16; 2. Amanda Lee (Westminster) – 18:27; 3. Natalie Swain (Utah State) – 18:33; 4. Tori Parkinson (Utah State Alumni) – 18:36; 5. Sarah Ellis (Utah State) – 18:43.
Utah State Women’s Results: 3. Natalie Swain – 18:33; 5. Sarah Ellis – 18:43; 6. Shelby Jensen – 18:46; 7. Sammi Lee – 18:53; 8. Brie Smith, 18:53; 9. Megumi Ludlow, 18:53; 10. Malia Lowe, 18:55; 11. Morgan Nygren, 18:55; 12. Sara Abbott, 18:56; 13. Brooklyn Hill, 18:59; 14. Caroline Moon, 19:04; 15. Arianna Steiner, 19:12; 16. Cameron Moore, 19:23; 17. KaryLee Taylor, 19:27; 18. Hazel Baird, 19:28; 20. Madison Strasner, 19:32; 21. Taylia Norris, 19:33; 22. Kaybree Christensen, 19:36; 23. Courtney Madsen, 19:42; 24. Karlie Callahan, 19:44; 25. Meredith Price, 19:52; 26. Emma Hillam, 20:11; 29. Karlee Christensen, 20:54.
Men’s 7K Team Results
1. UTAH STATE – 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, (9), (10) – 20
2. Utah State Alumni – 6, 8, 11, 19, 28, (30), (31) – 72
3. Utah Valley – 2, 17, 21, 29, 37 (38) – 106
Men’s Top-Five Finishers: 1. Brennan Benson (Utah State) – 21:25; 2. Abdulsalam Ibrahem (Utah Valley) – 21:29; 3. Drew Hogan (Utah State) – 21:31; 4. Caleb Armstrong (Utah State) – 21:32; 5. LJ Floyd (Utah State) – 21:34.
Utah State Men’s Results: 1. Brennan Benson – 21:25; 3. Drew Hogan – 21:31; 4. Caleb Armstrong – 21:32; 5. LJ Floyd – 21:34; 7. Eric Nelson – 21:45; 9. Grady Mylander – 21:52; 10. Wyatt Evans – 21:52; 12. Carson Coleman – 22:09; 13. Logan Garnica – 22:15; 14. Ben Berlin – 22:16; 15. Eli Gregory – 22:17; 16. Sam Jackson – 22:31; 22. Adam Wall – 23:01; 25. Kobe Yost – 23:17; 35. Chio Lopez – 25:29; 42. Nate Lloyd – 28:25.
