BOONE, N.C. – The App State men's and women's cross-country teams opened the season up with the Covered Bridge Invitational on Friday. The men earned a first-place finish (25 points), and the women earned a second-place finish (48 points).
In the men's 6K, Noah Martinson led the way, earning a third-place finish with a time of 17:49.4. The next five runners who crossed the finish line (and seven of the top 10) were Mountaineers, securing the win over No. 20 Georgia.
Thomas Wlazlowski (17:55.9) took fourth place and newcomer Ethan Stovall (18:05.8) placed fifth for the men. Aidan Kneeland (18:06.8), freshman Hunter Riffey (18:10.6), Aidan Morrow (18:11.3), and freshman Jackson Tuck (18:18.6) rounded out the top 10. App State's top five runners all finished within 25-seconds of one another.
"The men raced well today; they executed and ran tough. Having a small gap with our top 10, with Noah and Thomas leading, was really impressive," men's distance coach Brad Herbster said. "We wanted to come out this week and challenge for the win. We knew Georgia is a good team and ranked in the top 20, and our guys started off the season strong. In two weeks, we will have a large field and will need to again race as a unit. Hunter and Jackson ran well and the returners took off a lot of time from last year."
Sophomore Josie Jackson started her season off strong with a sixth-place finish and a time of 18:14.5 in the women's 5K. A few seconds later, fellow sophomore Ashby Williams crossed the finish line with a time of 18:41.2 to round out the top 10. Newcomers Baylor Wolfe and Sadie Wortman both earned a top-15 finish in their first competition as Mountaineers, helping their team round things out for a second-place finish.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will get the week off before traveling to Huntsville, Ala., to compete in the Southern Showcase on Friday, Sept. 18. The men's 8K will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the women's 5K will begin at 8:20 a.m.
Covered Bridge Invitational Standings
Men's team standings
-
App State - 25
-
Georgia - 35
-
Milligan - 85
Women's team standings
-
Georgia - 15
-
App State - 48
-
Milligan 85
Sport-specific giving allows you to directly support App State student-athletes and help provide them the resources they need to be successful. Click here to contribute to the Track and Field and Cross Country support fund.
Keep up with App State Track and Field and Cross Country wherever you go by following the Mountaineers on social media. Follow @appstate_tf_xc on X and Instagram. Download the App State Athletics App for iOS or Android to keep the Mountaineers at your fingertips.
