Among a field which included several national contenders, the UNC women’s cross country team placed fifth overall at the FSU XC Invitational in Tallahassee, FL, Friday morning. This is the first race in which either the Carolina women’s or men’s cross country teams have not placed first overall this season. UNC graduate student Paige Hofstad finished first among her teammates in 15th, with freshman Brynn Brown coming in 39th.

The top seven teams in the meet were all ranked in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association polls. No. 5 Colorado finished first, followed by No. 10 Utah, No. 15 Florida State, No. 14 Ole Miss and No. 12 UNC. No. 11 Arkansas and No. 16 Northern Arizona finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

The Tar Heels also beat out No. 24 Georgetown, No. 28 Toledo and No. 27 Kentucky, who finished in 10th through 12th place.

Hofstad is a transfer from Georgetown who has competed with Carolina for the past three seasons. She was named to the 2019-20 ACC Academic Honor Roll and also earned All-ACC honors in 2019.

The men’s cross country team is also running today, with the Tar Heels competing in two meets: the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, WI and the High Point Vertcross Invitational in Kernersville, N.C. The women will be off for two weeks before the ACC Cross Country Championships on October 29 in South Bend, IN.

 

Featured image via Carolina Athletics


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.