NU Men 16th, Women 30th at Pre-NCAA Meet

Ames, Iowa - Competing against some of the top teams in the nation at the 28th Memorial Cross Country Classic in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, the Husker men's team finished 16th with 533 points, while the women took 30th (799).

The men were led by senior Marcus Witter, who last week was named the Big 12 Cross Country Runner of the Week. Many of the nation's top ranked teams were in attendance, including six teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest MONDO poll.

Witter, who hails from Kearney, Neb., completed the 10,000-meter course in 31:26.2 to finish 19th among 360 competitors. Senior Aaron Carrizales also cracked the top 75, finishing 74th in 32:09.3.Sophomore Mike Kamm finished 109th in 32:26.3, while freshman Kyle Wyatt crossed the line in 32:51.5 to finish 165th. Also scoring for the Huskers was sophomores Ian Gray (188th, 33:03.5). Sophomores James De Bruhl (313th, 34:37.1) and Jed Barta (324th, 34:54.0) also competed.

Colorado's Jorge Torres won the men's race in 30:31.1, helping the Buffaloes capture the team title with 64 points. Northern Arizona (215), Stanford (255), Brigham Young (310) and Georgetown (313) rounded out the top five.

The women's race also featured several of the country's elite, including seven teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest FinishLynx poll.

The Huskers were led by freshman Ann Gaffigan, who lowered her 6,000-meter time to 22:25.8 to finish in 83rd place. Sophomore Kathryn Handrup crossed the line in 22:52.7 to finish 133rd, while senior Amie Jorgensen (156th, 23:06.9), sophomore Jenna Lucas (23:43.6) and senior Jaimie Kruger (255th, 24:15.8) rounded out the scoring for the Nebraska.

Kara Wheeler of Colorado won the women's event, finishing in 20:27.3, while Brigham Young took the team title with 117 points. Stanford finished second (151), followed by Wisconsin (189), Arizona State (241) and Colorado (251).

The Huskers also had several Huskers competing in the men's "B" race. Freshman Eric Rasmussen crossed the line in 36th place (33:40.3), followed closely by teammate Paul Wilson, who finished the course in 33:44.9 to take 39th. Wilson, a freshman from Wahoo, Neb., joined the Huskers last week. Sophomore Phillip Davis finished 85th in 35:44.6.

The Huskers' next test will come in Boulder, Colo., when Nebraska travels to the University of Colorado for the Big 12 Championships on Oct. 28.