Blue Demons Hit Their Stride at Bradley Pink Classic

Friday, October 18

Peoria, Ill.

3 P.M. CT

DePaul University

Bradley Pink Invitational

Blue Demons Hit Their Stride at Bradley Pink Classic

10/18/2024 7:00:00 PM | CROSS COUNTRY

Graduate students Dieball, Rodriguez lead DePaul teams

PEORIA, Ill. – DePaul cross country closed its stay at the 24th edition of the Bradley Pink Invitational on Friday evening with strong performances in both the Men's 8K and Women's 6K. Graduate students Damian Rodriguez and Meghan Dieball led the way for the Blue Demons, finishing as the top DePaul runners in their respective races.

"The team overall had a great day," said head coach Geoff Wayton. "A significant number of our runners hit personal records, which I'm really happy with. We've been trending well, and this was the best race the men have had in two years. It was a good meet, and we're in a good position heading into the conference championships."

The Bradley Pink Classic featured two race sections: the White/Open Division and the Red/Invite Division.

The Men's Open 8K started at 1:30 p.m. CT, followed by the Women's Open 6K. The top-two runners in both Open races represented Chicago-area schools Loyola and Northwestern.

DePaul competed in the Invite section, with the Men's 8K beginning at 3 p.m. CT and the Women's Red Division starting at 3:45 p.m. CT.

"The men were up first, and I was really happy with our top five," said Wayton. "They raced aggressively off the line, which was great to see. The race shifted a bit, but our top five stayed strong and ran really well. Damian [Rodriguez] had a fantastic performance with a huge PR, contributing significantly to our overall success. It was a solid effort from the whole group, showing we're progressing well."

In the Men's 8K Invite Division, all five of DePaul's top runners earned personal records (PRs), leading to an 11th-place team finish in one of the most competitive events in the nation.

Rodriguez impressed, leading the Blue Demons with a time of 24:11.02, securing 15th place in the Classic.

Sophomore Mason Krieg was next in DePaul's lineup with a time of 24:41.30, earning 63rd place. Graduate student Joe Knanishu followed closely, finishing at 24:45.48.

Griffin Lehnhardt and Lucas Cunningham also posted personal bests, rounding out DePaul's top five with times of 24:50.91 and 25:00.55, respectively.

"On the women's side, we held some athletes out, but our top four who ran did very well," said Wayton. "We started a bit too timid off the line and got swallowed up by the field early. However, the second half of the race was much better, and I can see improvements being made as we go. We needed to run with more emotion and aggressiveness from the start, but despite missing key runners, we still had a solid day all around."

Dieball led the women for the third time in four meets, finishing atop DePaul's roster in the Invite 6K with a time of 21:55.77.

Freshmen Tessa Roe and Vivian Wyller rounded out DePaul's top three, with Roe finishing 57th and Wyller 108th.

Isabella Orozco wasn't far behind, clocking a personal best in the 6K with a time of 22:24.72, good for 143rd place.

Amelia Montgomery completed DePaul's top-five, finishing her fourth collegiate meet with a time of 23:34.5.

"The course itself is great for spectators, and you can really see how runners are moving within the race. At one point, our 3, 4, and 5 were slipping a bit, but Griffin [Lehnhardt] did a great job stepping up. It's a course where you can really hammer without being punished by the terrain. Overall, it was a good day, and we're happy with where we're at."

Facing strong competition and ranked opponents, DePaul delivered one of its best performances of the year as they look ahead to the BIG EAST Conference Championships.

UP NEXT
DePaul competes at the BIG EAST Championships on Friday, Nov. 1, in Leesburg, Va.

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Bradley Pink Invitational
Newman Golf Course
Friday, October 18

Men's 8K
15. Damian Rodriguez - 24:11.02
63. Mason Krieg - 24:41.30
72. Joe Knanishu - 24:45.48
83. Griffin Lehnhardt - 24:50.91
99. Lucas Cunnigham - 25:00.55
168. William Previdi - 25:37.76
186. Mohamed Abdullahi - 25:49.62
208. Dustin Hudak - 26:07.90

Women's 6K
55. Meghan Dieball - 21:25.77
57. Tessa Roe - 21:27.93
108. Vivian Wyller - 21:59.15
143. Isabella Orozco - 22:24.72
220. Amelia Montgomery - 23:34.44
255. Meaghan Andrews - 25:03.18