APPLETON, Wisconsin – The Ripon men's and women's cross country programs competed on Saturday for the final time before the upcoming Midwest Conference Championships, racing at the Gene Davis Invite hosted by Lawrence at the Reid Golf Course – the site of the 2024 MWC Championships.
Ripon continued its strong showings at this event from previous years – the men's team won this event in 2023, while the women won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. Individually,
Sam Forstner was the men's champion in 2023, setting a new course record, while
Alison DeNamur took third to lead the women.
In the women's 6K, three Red Hawks had standout performances.
Jenny Cortes took sixth place with a time of 22:35 for her fourth top 10 finish of the season.
Gabby Allard placed herself into the record books on Saturday to join Cortes; the sophomore's time of 23:38 wasn't only the 13th-fastest time on Saturday, but it was the 14th-fastest 6K in program history.
Joley Berger made her mark as a freshman at the Gene Davis Invite, taking 16th place with a time of 23:48. She is now 16th in the school record books for the 6K.
In the men's 8K,
Rainier Villanueva was Ripon's best finisher. The senior came in 13th place with a time of 26:05. Soon after he crossed the finish line,
Jeremy Saloun took 27th after a 26:30 performance.
Jamar Thomas also had a top 40 finish for the Red Hawks, securing 35th place in 26:46.
The men took third out of 11 teams, while the women came in fourth place out of 12 teams.
UP NEXT: Ripon now has three weeks off before returning to Appleton for the Midwest Conference Championships on Saturday, November 2. The women's race is set for 11 a.m., while the men will run at noon.
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