The Arizona State cross country team completed their 2017 campaign back in mid-November. Despite an early plague of setbacks due to injury, the season was full of highlights, from Chelsey Albertson's spectacular senior campaign, to young Sun Devils stepping up to the task under a new coaching staff of former Sun Devil great Jeremy Rasmussen and Buckeye All-American Cory Leslie.
George Kyte Classic
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.-- The Sun Devil cross country team opened up their 2017 campaign up north, as redshirt freshman Daan Haven led the women to a 62-point finish at the George Kyte Classic, finishing behind host Northern Arizona (46) and ahead of Pac-12 foes UCLA (65) and Arizona (69). Her time of 15:52.4 placed her eighth on the leaderboard while Anna Pruter (15:54.5) rounded out the top-10 with a ninth-place finish. Angela Saitta took 12th in her ASU debut at 16:13.1, sophomore Alexis Nichols took 16th in 16:21.7 and true freshman Chamique Duboise placed 17th at 16:25.6.
Redshirt Junior Nick Dale led the Sun Devil men, finishing 14th at 24:02.5. Three other Sun Devil men finished in the top-25, including Brandon Boys, Michael Renner, and true freshman Jackson Lewis. The collective group finish pushed the Sun Devils past Grand Canyon (101 points) for third place (100) at Buffalo Park, while placing behind first-place finisher Northern Arizona with 15 and UCLA with 49.
Dave Murray Invitational
TUSCON, Ariz. – The Arizona State cross country team used a couple key performances from newcomers in the Dave Murray Invitational at Tucson's Dell Ulrich Golf Course to place both teams in the top-three. The Sun Devil men rounded out the top-25 with seven different runners. Highlighting the team performance was veteran John Reniewicki, who pushed past the majority of the field for fourth in his season debut. Other Devils that made an impression were Ryan Normand (11th), Jackson Lewis (12th), Nick Dale (14th) and Erik Gonzalez (16th) rounding out the top-five. The day concluded with a third-place finish with 57 points, two-points behind in-state foe GCU.
For the women, senior leader Chelsey Albertson debuted and clocked in at 14:04.3 in the 4K race, good enough for second place and springing the Sun Devil women as runner-up to rival Arizona. Albertson paced the squad, holding her place with leaders all day while her teammates followed with five scorers maintaining a spot within the top-10 – Cecile Lejeune, Samantha Ortega, Anna Pruter and Alexis Nichols.
Roy Griak Invitational
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In the last meet of the month, fans saw another consistent outing from both squads in the Roy Griak Invite. Junior Samantha Ortega was the women's top finisher as she coursed through for a 25th-place finish. Through the first kilometer, Ortega was in 39th, but cut it down by 14 spots by the end with a time of 22:29.1. Senior Chelsey Albertson's presence was felt as well, taking 51st, along with sophomore Courtney Lewis who placed 60th in her season debut.
The Arizona State men found themselves outside the top-10 for the first time this season putting up 324 points and taking 12th place – four points short of South Dakota for 11th. John Reniewicki was at again for a second consecutive week, placing 41st with a time of 26:24.5. Some new talent was showcased in Minneapolis as true freshman Jackson Lewis finished second-best among his teammates, good enough for 73rd overall. The last 3K of the race is where Lewis did most of his damage, passing almost 30 runners. Assistant coach Cory Leslie made it clear of what lies ahead for this inexperienced bunch as they moved closer to increased competition in Louisville.
Pre-National Invitational
LOUISVILLE, Kent. -- The men and women didn't come away with what they had anticipated at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, but some satisfying performances from redshirt senior Chelsey Albertson and junior Samantha Ortega were high points in a tough field play. Both Ortega and Albertson completed the day, placing 77th and 79th, respectively, leading the women to 22nd (605 points). ASU's women were countered with a tough section facing 14 teams in the USTFCCCA top-30, ultimately taking down No. 24 Missouri, who was led by a defending NCAA champion.
A tough outing from the Sun Devil men was highlighted by John Reniewicki, who completed the 8K race in 24:25.4, just 10 seconds off his career best.
ASU Cross Country Invitational
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State cross country team finished their regular season at home in exciting fashion as both squads took home first place at the ASU Cross Country Invitational in Tempe, claiming their first wins of the season. The men's side saw true freshman Erik Gonzalez cross the line first for the Devils, taking 5th place, while the women witnessed sophomore Courtney Lewis take home the first-place prize in 18:19.
Gonzalez ran near the front of the pack for most of the race while teammate and another youthful partner, Jackson Lewis, finished as ASU's No. 2 (21:27) in 9th place in the Valley of the Sun. Michael Renner just missed the cut for a top-10 finish crossing the line in 21:35.
Head coach Jeremy Rasmussen praised the performance of Courtney Lewis in Tempe as she traded the lead with her senior teammate Billie Jo Dytrt and ultimately pulled away from Dytrt to grab her first win of the season. This was the second time this season the Sun Devil women finished with five top-10 finishers – Angela Saitta (5th), Bianca Tinoco (7th), Anastasia Hancock (9th). It was the second time this season that the women had placed ahead of rival Arizona (54 points) as well.
Pac-12 Championships
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The Sun Devil cross country team took to the coast to compete in the Pac-12 Championships where both teams completed equal outings both finishing within the top-10. For the women, seven participants put together 232 points, putting them ahead of both Washington State (259 points) and Oregon State (263 points).
Chelsey Albertson managed to run alongside the leaders for the majority of the race and ultimately grabbed the final all-conference spot. Her finish was the 14th-best on the day, crossing the line in 19:23.6. The all-conference achievement was the first for ASU since Shelby Houlihan did it back in 2014. Sophomore Alexis Nichols saved her best for last, as she completed the 6K in 20:23.4, good for 53rd. Rounding out the top-five for the women's side, Junior Samantha Ortega (61st), Courtney Lewis (62nd), Daan Haven (67th).
The men's Pac-12 Championship saw similar performances from all seven runners. John Reniewicki was ASU's No. 1 as he finished 66th in Springfield (25:30.2) where he ran with the leaders for a portion of the race. His counterpart Erik Gonzalez took 72nd as the Sun Devils' No. 2 for the first time this season. Respectable performances from redshirt Junior J.P. Nelson (76th), redshirt sophomore Alexzander Stevens (77th) and sophomore Michael Renner (78th) followed in order to round out the top-five for the Sun Devil men's team.
NCAA West Regional Championships
SEATTLE, Wash. -- The Sun Devils completed their season at the NCAA West Regional as senior Chelsey Albertson ran her way to a top-25 finish. The all-conference honoree would once again be the leader for the Sun Devils through the 2K mark as she sought a qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships in Louisville.
Unfortunately, Albertson's 21st place finish in the Puget Northwest proved not enough to stamp her ticket for the NCAA Championships – finishing fifth-best among individuals, one place shy of an NCAA berth. As a team, the Sun Devil women finished ninth, gathering 304 points with Courtney Lewis (62), Samantha Ortega (65), Daan Haven (77) and Alexis Nichols (81) following. Despite the ninth-place finish, ASU managed to place themselves ahead of conference foe and No. 8 in the region UCLA (12).
For the men, John Reniewicki completed his junior season as he finished 120th in the field with a time of 32:05.81. This was Reniewicki's first 10K of the season finishing as the lone participant for the men's team and marking his first appearance at Jefferson Park Golf Course.
George Kyte Classic
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.-- The Sun Devil cross country team opened up their 2017 campaign up north, as redshirt freshman Daan Haven led the women to a 62-point finish at the George Kyte Classic, finishing behind host Northern Arizona (46) and ahead of Pac-12 foes UCLA (65) and Arizona (69). Her time of 15:52.4 placed her eighth on the leaderboard while Anna Pruter (15:54.5) rounded out the top-10 with a ninth-place finish. Angela Saitta took 12th in her ASU debut at 16:13.1, sophomore Alexis Nichols took 16th in 16:21.7 and true freshman Chamique Duboise placed 17th at 16:25.6.
Redshirt Junior Nick Dale led the Sun Devil men, finishing 14th at 24:02.5. Three other Sun Devil men finished in the top-25, including Brandon Boys, Michael Renner, and true freshman Jackson Lewis. The collective group finish pushed the Sun Devils past Grand Canyon (101 points) for third place (100) at Buffalo Park, while placing behind first-place finisher Northern Arizona with 15 and UCLA with 49.
Dave Murray Invitational
TUSCON, Ariz. – The Arizona State cross country team used a couple key performances from newcomers in the Dave Murray Invitational at Tucson's Dell Ulrich Golf Course to place both teams in the top-three. The Sun Devil men rounded out the top-25 with seven different runners. Highlighting the team performance was veteran John Reniewicki, who pushed past the majority of the field for fourth in his season debut. Other Devils that made an impression were Ryan Normand (11th), Jackson Lewis (12th), Nick Dale (14th) and Erik Gonzalez (16th) rounding out the top-five. The day concluded with a third-place finish with 57 points, two-points behind in-state foe GCU.
For the women, senior leader Chelsey Albertson debuted and clocked in at 14:04.3 in the 4K race, good enough for second place and springing the Sun Devil women as runner-up to rival Arizona. Albertson paced the squad, holding her place with leaders all day while her teammates followed with five scorers maintaining a spot within the top-10 – Cecile Lejeune, Samantha Ortega, Anna Pruter and Alexis Nichols.
Roy Griak Invitational
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In the last meet of the month, fans saw another consistent outing from both squads in the Roy Griak Invite. Junior Samantha Ortega was the women's top finisher as she coursed through for a 25th-place finish. Through the first kilometer, Ortega was in 39th, but cut it down by 14 spots by the end with a time of 22:29.1. Senior Chelsey Albertson's presence was felt as well, taking 51st, along with sophomore Courtney Lewis who placed 60th in her season debut.
The Arizona State men found themselves outside the top-10 for the first time this season putting up 324 points and taking 12th place – four points short of South Dakota for 11th. John Reniewicki was at again for a second consecutive week, placing 41st with a time of 26:24.5. Some new talent was showcased in Minneapolis as true freshman Jackson Lewis finished second-best among his teammates, good enough for 73rd overall. The last 3K of the race is where Lewis did most of his damage, passing almost 30 runners. Assistant coach Cory Leslie made it clear of what lies ahead for this inexperienced bunch as they moved closer to increased competition in Louisville.
Pre-National Invitational
LOUISVILLE, Kent. -- The men and women didn't come away with what they had anticipated at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, but some satisfying performances from redshirt senior Chelsey Albertson and junior Samantha Ortega were high points in a tough field play. Both Ortega and Albertson completed the day, placing 77th and 79th, respectively, leading the women to 22nd (605 points). ASU's women were countered with a tough section facing 14 teams in the USTFCCCA top-30, ultimately taking down No. 24 Missouri, who was led by a defending NCAA champion.
A tough outing from the Sun Devil men was highlighted by John Reniewicki, who completed the 8K race in 24:25.4, just 10 seconds off his career best.
ASU Cross Country Invitational
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State cross country team finished their regular season at home in exciting fashion as both squads took home first place at the ASU Cross Country Invitational in Tempe, claiming their first wins of the season. The men's side saw true freshman Erik Gonzalez cross the line first for the Devils, taking 5th place, while the women witnessed sophomore Courtney Lewis take home the first-place prize in 18:19.
Gonzalez ran near the front of the pack for most of the race while teammate and another youthful partner, Jackson Lewis, finished as ASU's No. 2 (21:27) in 9th place in the Valley of the Sun. Michael Renner just missed the cut for a top-10 finish crossing the line in 21:35.
Head coach Jeremy Rasmussen praised the performance of Courtney Lewis in Tempe as she traded the lead with her senior teammate Billie Jo Dytrt and ultimately pulled away from Dytrt to grab her first win of the season. This was the second time this season the Sun Devil women finished with five top-10 finishers – Angela Saitta (5th), Bianca Tinoco (7th), Anastasia Hancock (9th). It was the second time this season that the women had placed ahead of rival Arizona (54 points) as well.
Pac-12 Championships
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The Sun Devil cross country team took to the coast to compete in the Pac-12 Championships where both teams completed equal outings both finishing within the top-10. For the women, seven participants put together 232 points, putting them ahead of both Washington State (259 points) and Oregon State (263 points).
Chelsey Albertson managed to run alongside the leaders for the majority of the race and ultimately grabbed the final all-conference spot. Her finish was the 14th-best on the day, crossing the line in 19:23.6. The all-conference achievement was the first for ASU since Shelby Houlihan did it back in 2014. Sophomore Alexis Nichols saved her best for last, as she completed the 6K in 20:23.4, good for 53rd. Rounding out the top-five for the women's side, Junior Samantha Ortega (61st), Courtney Lewis (62nd), Daan Haven (67th).
The men's Pac-12 Championship saw similar performances from all seven runners. John Reniewicki was ASU's No. 1 as he finished 66th in Springfield (25:30.2) where he ran with the leaders for a portion of the race. His counterpart Erik Gonzalez took 72nd as the Sun Devils' No. 2 for the first time this season. Respectable performances from redshirt Junior J.P. Nelson (76th), redshirt sophomore Alexzander Stevens (77th) and sophomore Michael Renner (78th) followed in order to round out the top-five for the Sun Devil men's team.
NCAA West Regional Championships
SEATTLE, Wash. -- The Sun Devils completed their season at the NCAA West Regional as senior Chelsey Albertson ran her way to a top-25 finish. The all-conference honoree would once again be the leader for the Sun Devils through the 2K mark as she sought a qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships in Louisville.
Unfortunately, Albertson's 21st place finish in the Puget Northwest proved not enough to stamp her ticket for the NCAA Championships – finishing fifth-best among individuals, one place shy of an NCAA berth. As a team, the Sun Devil women finished ninth, gathering 304 points with Courtney Lewis (62), Samantha Ortega (65), Daan Haven (77) and Alexis Nichols (81) following. Despite the ninth-place finish, ASU managed to place themselves ahead of conference foe and No. 8 in the region UCLA (12).
For the men, John Reniewicki completed his junior season as he finished 120th in the field with a time of 32:05.81. This was Reniewicki's first 10K of the season finishing as the lone participant for the men's team and marking his first appearance at Jefferson Park Golf Course.