Friday, October 4
Chicago, Ill.
11:20 A.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational
Roe, Rodriguez Pace Blue Demons at Loyola Lakefront Invite
10/4/2024 4:15:00 PM | CROSS COUNTRY
Four DePaul athletes place top five in respective races
CHICAGO – DePaul cross country wrapped up its stay at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational with impressive performances in the Women's 6K and Men's 8K Open races in Chicago, Ill., Friday afternoon. On a beautiful, sun-filled day along the shores of Lake Michigan, freshman Tessa Roe and graduate student Damian Rodriguez led the Blue Demons, who collectively showed improvement from their last outing as postseason competition approaches.
"We took a big step forward today," said head coach Geoff Wayton. "The team just needs to make all the small decisions that will get them to their peak by the end of the season."
The Sean Earl Invitational began with the Women's 6K and Men's 8K Championship races at 10 a.m. CT, with DePaul competing in the later Open Division races at 11:20 a.m. CT.
"Our teams did well overall today, and we know what we need to work on," said Wayton. "Tessa and Meghan were outstanding, and I expect a strong finish from them this season. It was great seeing former Blue Demon cross country runner Nina Amicon win the open, with Vivian continuing to impress. Sara Cordova delivered in the fifth spot, and though we had some runners just behind, I'm confident they'll figure it out and bounce back strongly."
In the Women's 6K Open, Roe led the Blue Demons with a 4th-place finish and a time of 21:17.78. Just under two seconds behind her in 5th place was Meghan Dieball, clocking in at 21:19.68.
Freshman Vivian Wyller held her own in the event, placing 28th and crossing the finish line at 22:06.73.
In a grouping of three Blue Demons, Madison Volz, Sara Cordova, and Isabella Orozco finished within 46 seconds of each other, good for 40th, 43th, and 45th place, respectively.
"On the men's side, it was a complete 180 from our last time out at Notre Dame," said Wayton. "We switched up the order, and it worked. Our gap dropped by 30 seconds, Joe ran a minute and a half faster, and Mason and Damian had great days with Lucas and Griffin right behind. Unfortunately, we had a deep drop-off after our top five, so we know we have some work to do before our conference meet. We need five solid runners, but it's always nice to have a strong 6th and 7th in a close race. Our workouts going forward will focus on closing that gap, and I know we have more potential to unlock."
In the Men's 8K Open, Rodriguez delivered an outstanding performance for DePaul, finishing 2nd with a time of 24:25.46. Sophomore Mason Krieg also cracked the top ten, finishing 7th at 24:55.54.
Lucas Cunningham, Joe Knanishu, and Griffin Lehnhardt packed together, securing 14th, 15th, and 17th places, respectively, to round out DePaul's top five.
On the scoreboard, Toledo, No. 29 Texas, and Northwestern edged out DePaul in the Women's 6K Open, while Duke and Loyola finished behind the DePaul men in the 8K Open.
UP NEXT
DePaul competes at the Bradley Pink Invitational on Friday, Oct. 18, in Peoria, Ill.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all of the latest on DePaul Cross Country, Track & Field, stay tuned to DePaulBlueDemons.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational
Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course
Friday, October 4
Women's 6K
1. Nina Amicon (UNA) - 21:09.58
4. Tessa Roe - 21:17.78
5. Meghan Dieball - 21:19.68
28. Vivian Wyller - 22:06.73
40. Madison Volz - 22:36.62
43. Sara Cordova - 23:04.26
45. Isabella Orozco - 23:21.25
48. Gianna Sanchez - 23:58.93
49. Meaghan Andrews - 25:51.34
Men's 8K
2. Damian Rodriguez - 24:25.46
7. Mason Krieg - 24:55.54
14. Lucas Cunningham - 25:22.74
15. Joe Knanishu - 25:24.32
17. Griffin Lehnhardt - 25:28.23
25. William Previdi - 26:05.24
32. Dustin Hudak - 26:56.65
33. Mohamed Abdinasir - 27:04.62
"We took a big step forward today," said head coach Geoff Wayton. "The team just needs to make all the small decisions that will get them to their peak by the end of the season."
The Sean Earl Invitational began with the Women's 6K and Men's 8K Championship races at 10 a.m. CT, with DePaul competing in the later Open Division races at 11:20 a.m. CT.
"Our teams did well overall today, and we know what we need to work on," said Wayton. "Tessa and Meghan were outstanding, and I expect a strong finish from them this season. It was great seeing former Blue Demon cross country runner Nina Amicon win the open, with Vivian continuing to impress. Sara Cordova delivered in the fifth spot, and though we had some runners just behind, I'm confident they'll figure it out and bounce back strongly."
In the Women's 6K Open, Roe led the Blue Demons with a 4th-place finish and a time of 21:17.78. Just under two seconds behind her in 5th place was Meghan Dieball, clocking in at 21:19.68.
Freshman Vivian Wyller held her own in the event, placing 28th and crossing the finish line at 22:06.73.
In a grouping of three Blue Demons, Madison Volz, Sara Cordova, and Isabella Orozco finished within 46 seconds of each other, good for 40th, 43th, and 45th place, respectively.
"On the men's side, it was a complete 180 from our last time out at Notre Dame," said Wayton. "We switched up the order, and it worked. Our gap dropped by 30 seconds, Joe ran a minute and a half faster, and Mason and Damian had great days with Lucas and Griffin right behind. Unfortunately, we had a deep drop-off after our top five, so we know we have some work to do before our conference meet. We need five solid runners, but it's always nice to have a strong 6th and 7th in a close race. Our workouts going forward will focus on closing that gap, and I know we have more potential to unlock."
In the Men's 8K Open, Rodriguez delivered an outstanding performance for DePaul, finishing 2nd with a time of 24:25.46. Sophomore Mason Krieg also cracked the top ten, finishing 7th at 24:55.54.
Lucas Cunningham, Joe Knanishu, and Griffin Lehnhardt packed together, securing 14th, 15th, and 17th places, respectively, to round out DePaul's top five.
On the scoreboard, Toledo, No. 29 Texas, and Northwestern edged out DePaul in the Women's 6K Open, while Duke and Loyola finished behind the DePaul men in the 8K Open.
UP NEXT
DePaul competes at the Bradley Pink Invitational on Friday, Oct. 18, in Peoria, Ill.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all of the latest on DePaul Cross Country, Track & Field, stay tuned to DePaulBlueDemons.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational
Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course
Friday, October 4
Women's 6K
1. Nina Amicon (UNA) - 21:09.58
4. Tessa Roe - 21:17.78
5. Meghan Dieball - 21:19.68
28. Vivian Wyller - 22:06.73
40. Madison Volz - 22:36.62
43. Sara Cordova - 23:04.26
45. Isabella Orozco - 23:21.25
48. Gianna Sanchez - 23:58.93
49. Meaghan Andrews - 25:51.34
Men's 8K
2. Damian Rodriguez - 24:25.46
7. Mason Krieg - 24:55.54
14. Lucas Cunningham - 25:22.74
15. Joe Knanishu - 25:24.32
17. Griffin Lehnhardt - 25:28.23
25. William Previdi - 26:05.24
32. Dustin Hudak - 26:56.65
33. Mohamed Abdinasir - 27:04.62
Players Mentioned
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