SAVOY, Ill. – Saint Louis newcomers Oliwia Wawrzyniak and Sydney Gertsen made impressive debuts for the Billiken cross country team Friday evening, leading SLU to a second-place finish at the Fighting Illini Invitational at the Orange and Blue Golf Course.
Wawrzyniak captured the individual title in the women's 4K with a time of 12:53.5, while Gertsen placed third overall in 13:30.3. Saint Louis finished with 49 points, trailing only host Illinois, which won the meet with 28 points.
Sophia Pelligreen added an 11th-place finish for the Billikens with a time of 13:59.3. Clara Gillen was 15th in 14:06.9, followed by Maggie Zimmerman in 19th place (14:15.3) and Tessa Bowers in 20th (14:16.8).
"I don't think I could have asked for a better start to the season for our women," SLU head coach Jon Bell said. "Oliwia and Sydney immediately took control of the race which was great to see. Sophia, Clara, Maggie, Tessa, and Starr had solid performances to round out our scoring. Having three freshmen in our top seven is a great sign."
Manny Vela led Saint Louis' men with a seventh-place finish in the men's 6K, crossing the line in 18:04.7. Jameson Tenopir followed in 13th place with a time of 18:27.3, while Ronnie Brown finished 14th in 18:28.6.
Noah McMullen placed 17th in 18:37.1, and John Giricz rounded out the Billikens' top five scoring runners by finishing 20th in 18:46.3. JD Haines also produced a top-25 finish, crossing 24th with a time of 18:50.8.
"For the men, it was great to see Manny lead the way," Bell said. "Jameson Tenopir had a fantastic first collegiate meet. He's never raced this far and really held his own. Early in the race we were a little sloppy with our positioning, but the men corrected the situation to end up placing third. We have some good teaching moments to take away from this weekend as we prepare for our home meet in two weeks."
The Billiken men placed third with 71 points behind Illinois and Illinois-Chicago.
SLU returns to action Friday morning, Sept. 18, when it hosts the Billiken Invitational at Quail Creek Golf Club in South St. Louis County.
