OREM, Utah - The Southern Utah University cross country teams wrapped up their first meet of the 2026 season in Orem. The men's team placed third on the podium. The women's team followed right behind with a fourth-place finish, both out of a field of eight.
Head Coach Isaac Wood said,
"I'm really proud of our team's effort and our season opener. I thought we had great effort and attitudes throughout the race. Considering where we've been at training-wise, and the way we plan to progress throughout the season. This is a really, really great opener. I'm really proud to be a T-Bird today and excited for the future of the program!"
Men's Recap
The men's team recorded a third-place finish in the first event of the season with a score of 74. The Thunderbirds were only surpassed by the host Utah Valley University with 46 points and Brigham Young University, which scored an outstanding 17 points and recorded the top four finishes.Â
SUU had 13 runners finish in the top 50 out of 120 racers. Senior Logan Peel led the pack of SUU runners, posting a new personal best of 14:26.2 and placing 12th in the event. Peel was followed closely by Tyler Saunders (14:29.03), Parker Barnes (14:29.97), and Amit Cohen (14:30.7), finishing 14th, 15th, and 17th, respectively.
Team Results:
12th - Logan Peel - 14:26.2
14th - Tyler Saunders - 14:29.03
15th - Parker Barnes - 14:29.97
17th - Amit Cohen - 14:30.7
24th - Jacob Russel - 14:41.55
27th - Joshua Hernandez - 14:47.93
32nd - Kohl Sanders - 14:54.85Â
34th - Seth Sonerholm - 14:58.48Â
35th - Todd Yeates - 15:00.97
36th - Chase Evans - 15:01.67
37th - Oliver James - 15:02.11
40th - Daniel Martinez - 15:04.8
48th - Dax Daley - 15:16.01
52nd - Ezra Nelson - 15:22.06
63rd - Jonah Denison - 15:30.72
Women's Recap
The women's team finished mid-table in fourth place with a score of 106 points. They trailed in-state opponents: the University of Utah, which finished with 76 points; UVU tallied 54 points; and BYU, which won both events, with the women scoring 19 points.Â
Angelina Lione led the Thunderbird with a 16:45.25, which landed her a 14th-place finish. Junior Audrey Hales was the next SUU runner to cross the line with a 17:35.32 to finish 25th, followed closely by Bella Evans in 29th with a 17:40.59. SUU had two more runners finish in the top half of competitors, with Leah Larson (18:12.03) and Laurie Davidson (18:12.31) crossing the line back-to-back in 41st and 42nd.
Team Result:
14 - Angelina Lione - 16:45.25
25 - Audrey Hales - 17:35.32
29 - Bella Evans - 17:40.59
41 - Leah Larson - 18:12.03
42 - Laurie Davidson - 18:12.31
48 - Tara Bouck - 18:29.59
51 - Hannah Shaha - 18:39.03
56 - Brooklyn Tarr - 18:55.71
57 - Nixie Killpack - 18:55.79
58 - Adelaide Englestead - 18:57.83
63 - Kennedy Swain - 19:15.84
67 - Autumn Huntington - 19:24.03
71 - Brielle Lee - 19:33.12
77 - Taylor Jorgensen - 19:54.33
82 - Claire Hoenes - 20:23.81
Up Next
Both the men's and women's cross country teams will be back in action Sept. 10 at the Beehive Invite co-hosted by UofU and Westminster College in Salt Lake City. The action will start at 10 a.m. with the women's team, followed by the men at 10:45 a.m.
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