Cross Country Caps Competition at Fire Tower Project

BOONE, N.C. – The App State men's and women's cross country teams capped competition at the Fire Tower Project on Friday. 

Noah Martinson led the way for the third straight meet in the men's 8K. He secured his third top-10 finish in as many meets with a time of 24:21.5. Freshman Jackson Tuck had his best showing of his collegiate career as he crossed the finish line just behind Martinson with a new best time of 24:24.8. Thomas Wlazlowski (24:28.6) was the third to cross the finish line, while Rowan Gwin (24:37.1) and Derek Waite (24:55.3) rounded out the top five. In a field of 115, all five Mountaineers secured finishes in the top 20, collecting a team score of 62, and 11 earned top-40 placements.  

"Today was not a day where we grouped up and raced," men's distance coach Brad Herbster said. "We got to the 2k mark, and we had gaps in our group. We had a couple positives with Rowan back and Jackson performing well; we look forward to getting back to it at Texas A&M." 

For the first time this season, sophomore Tessa Massa paced the field of Mountaineers in the women's 6K. Her time of 22:37.2 led the way for a tight pack of App State runners. Just behind her were freshman Sadie Wortman (22:43.7) in her first collegiate 6K, Ashby Williams (22.46.5), Breanna Budzinski (22.56.3) and Josie Jackson (22.59.5), who rounded out the top five. All five women finished in the top 40, and their 23-second spread was third best in the field of 14 teams, helping them earn a seventh-place finish and a team score of 173. 

"I always love competing at home and the crowd that comes out to see App State Cross Country," women's distance coach Annie Richards said. "Unfortunately, we did not have a strong team showing today. We'll need to make some changes to how we position ourselves early in the race. I will also be working with team leaders on key areas to improve before our next race so that we are better able to show what this group of women is capable of. " 

Up Next 

The Mountaineers will send runners to multiple meets as they travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the Arturos Burrios Invitational on Oct. 16, followed by a look at the NCAA regionals course as they travel to Spartanburg, S.C., to tackle the Upstate Invite on Oct. 17.   

Fire Tower Project Standings 

Men's team standings 

1. Virginia Tech - 19 

2. William & Mary - 45 

3. App State - 62 

4. Tennessee Tech - 125 

5. UNC-Asheville - 159  

6. CofC - 178 

7. Tusculum - 243 

8. Daytona State College - 246 

9. Winthrop - 294  

10. Milligan - 302 

11. Lees-McRae - 304 

12. Gardner-Webb - 308 

Women's team standings  

1. Virginia Tech - 15  

2. William & Mary - 76 

3. Tennessee Tech - 111 

4. James Madison - 111 

5. CofC - 117 

6. UNC-Asheville - 166 

7. App State - 173 

8. Winthrop - 221 

9. Gardner-Webb - 268 

10. Lees-McRae - 322 

11. Lenoir-Rhyne - 323 

12. Daytona State College - 360 

13. Milligan - 370 

14. Tusculum - 390 

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