Editor’s note: With several sports going on, Wildcat Wrap serves as a recap that focuses on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition.
For the first time in two decades, Arizona has a ranked cross country team.
The men’s team moved into the national rankings this week after taking first place at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational last Friday. The Arizona men are ranked No. 25, which is the program’s first ranking since 2006.
Head coach Andrew Dubs said the ranking “shows the work that our team has been putting in,” adding that “we know we still have a lot of work to do and that the most important thing is to be ready on the day when we get to regionals.”
Leading the Wildcats this season is Evans Tanui, who earned Big Men’s Co-Runner of the Week honors after taking second at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational with a personal best time of 22.41.6 in the 8k. Vincent Gwachi notched a sixth-place finish with a time of 22:57.44.
Arizona has one more race remaining before conference championships.
The Wildcats are one of five Big 12 teams ranked, along with No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Colorado and No. 7 BYU. A good case could be made that the Big 12 is the strongest cross country conference in the country.
On the women’s side, freshman Mercy Chepkemoi won the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational 6k with a time 19:02.52. Chepkemoi’s win helped the team secure a 12th place finish.
Chepkemoi, a heralded long distance runner from Kenya, was competing in her first collegiate race. She recently transferred to Arizona from Eastern Michigan.
Triathlon
The triathlon team earned a runner-up finish at the Desert Edge Collegiate Cup in Loma, Colorado this past Sunday despite missing several key contributors.
Molly Lakustiak won the race with a time of 1:02:29, while Ruth Pardy placed third with a time of 1:02:45. Ellison Wolfe also cracked the top 10 with a ninth-place finish, clocking in at 1:04:04.
Arizona finished behind TCU in the team standings.
The Wildcats were without six athletes. Kelly Wetteland and Margareta Vrablova competed at the U23 World Championships, and Jenna Gilhooly, Maria Clara Abreu Borges Cunha, Amit Ben Adiva and Regina Michel Camacho competed at the Junior World Championships. Both events were held in Spain.
Swimming and diving
Legendary Arizona swimming coach Frank Busch passed away Sunday at the age of 75. Our story on his passing can be found here.
SwimSwam shared a moving tributeto Busch with stories from many of his swimmers at Arizona.
