FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Arizona State cross country’s junior Chelsey Totten won the George Kyte Classic women’s 2.6-mile race, finishing in 15:05.4 on Saturday at Buffalo Park.
“For the women, they had about a 35-minute weather delay so they had to warm up and then cool down and warm up again, and I think the way they handled that was good,” head cross country coach Louie Quintana said. “Chelsey winning, every time you get a win is a big deal. A collegiate win is a collegiate win, and this is a good feeling.”
As a team, the Sun Devil women scored 46 points, finishing behind host Northern Arizona (32 points) and ahead of Arizona (57 points) and Grand Canyon (79 points).
With Totten’s win, the Sun Devil women have won at least one race in each season since 2012.
Seniors Cristina Juan Torres and Shaina Corbin also recorded a top-10 finishes, placing sixth in 15:35.0 and 10th in 15:44.4, respectively. Redshirt senior Jen Owen finished in 12th at 15:48.7, redshirt freshman Lea Patek placed 21st in 16:33.5, and redshirt senior Madison Davis placed 25th at 16:39.8.
“They competed well,” Quintana said. “We were a little overzealous initially, Cristina (Juan Torres) came out a little quickly, but that’s something we can work on. It was one of her best performances here at ASU. NAU is a team that’s ranked ahead of us, and while they beat us today, we were really close. We ran well today, we were competitive, the ladies were passing people all the way at the end, and that’s clearly what Coach Jeremy (Rasmussen) and I want to see. We want to see them fight at the end. It was a great effort for the women today. We’ll open everyone up in a couple weeks and really truly see where we’re at.”
Redshirt freshman Nick Dale led the Sun Devil men in the 4.5-mile race, finishing in 14th at 23:49.4.
Host Northern Arizona placed five finishers in the top-five positions to win with 15 points, followed by Arizona with 57 points, and the Sun Devils in third with 78 points.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Normand finished in 15th in 23:51.4, followed by fellow redshirt freshman John Reniewicki in 21st at 24:10.3, and redshirt sophomore Cody Brazeal in 22nd at 24:10.9. Rounding out the ASU finishers were redshirt freshmen Brandon Boys, who crossed the finish line in 24:30.0, and JP Nelson, who crossed at 24:38.0
Up next, the Sun Devils will have a week off before traveling down I-10 to the Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson on Friday, Sept. 18.
Quotes
Head Cross Country Coach Louie Quintana
“For the guys, we ran a group of redshirt freshmen and this was a really big opportunity, not only for them, but for all of us to see who in that group is really going to step up into our top seven. We were a little aggressive today, and I kind of like that. I think it’s something we can work on. When you’re off the back it’s really hard to make an assessment of how good we can be. I was disappointed with our resiliency in the middle of the race, I know we can be a lot better. I’m not pleased overall with how we performed, no one individual really stood out either positively or negatively. Collectively it was sort of an average day and that is unacceptable. These are things we’re going to have to work on when we get back down the hill.”
Junior Chelsey Totten (1st Career Cross Country Victory):
“It was really fun to be out there and running with my teammates, to be able to run with Shaina (Corbin) and Cristina (Juan Torres). It was a great time and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. It went out relaxed, really comfortable, and then I just started moving up, catching the people in front of me. Cristina was pretty close and I surged to catch up to her, kept trying to pick it up.
Redshirt Freshman Nick Dale:
“I felt good today. The last mile, mile and a half was tough, I was really hurting, but I just held with a couple people, tried to pick them off one at a time. I’m pretty used to the elevation and this is one of my favorite races, so I enjoyed opening out here today.”
Results
Women’s Team (2.6 miles)
1. Northern Arizona – 32 points
2. Arizona State – 46 points
3. Arizona – 57 points
4. Grand Canyon – 79 points
Arizona State Individual Results
1. Chelsey Totten – 15:05.4
6. Cristina Juan Torres – 15:35.0
10. Shaina Corbin – 15:44.4
12. Jen Owen – 15:48.7
21. Lea Patek – 16:33.5
25. Madison Davis – 16:39.8
Men’s Team (4.5 miles)
1. Northern Arizona – 15 points
2. Arizona – 57 points
3. Arizona State – 78 points
4. Grand Canyon – 89 points
Arizona State Individual Results
14. Nick Dale – 23:49.4
15. Ryan Normand – 23:51.4
21. John Reniewicki – 24:10.3
22. Cody Brazeal – 24:10.9
32. Brandon Boys – 24:30.0
34. JP Nelson – 24:38.0