Dave Murray Invitational Meet Notes
TEMPE – After a week off from racing, Arizona State will be back in action Friday in Tucson, and both Sun Devil cross country squads will introduce some familiar faces back into their lineups, including team captain John Reniewicki and senior Chelsey Albertson.
ASU will lineup with some of the same competition it opened the season against two weeks ago, including Arizona, NAU and Grand Canyon among others. Even with new additions to the Sun Devil lineups, coach Jeremy Rasmussen's goals remain unchanged.
"It's about trying to figure out, if we lost to somebody before, how can we make a step forward and get closer to them or beat them," Rasmussen said. "You're going to have situations and scenarios where you're going to be running around the same people, essentially, so it's about how do we make a progression individually, too, and not just as a team."
Defending NCAA champion and No. 1 NAU will look to control the men's race, but the Sun Devils have had success on the Randolph Municipal course the past few years, having won the team and individual title on the men's side in back-to-back tries.
"The course isn't that demanding, so we should be able to run hard and still recover pretty well from it," Rasmussen said. "This week is really about building momentum, building some confidence and being ready to roll once we get to Minneapolis next week."
While ASU's top-finisher from the race a season ago, C.J. Albertson (1st) has graduated, The Devils went one-two in 2016 as Reniewicki finished behind C.J. in the 6K run.
Brandon Boys (5th) and Kyle Shinn (16th) are ASU's other highest-finishing returners.
The Sun Devil women come into the race after finishing second with two freshmen finishing in the top-15 at the George Kyte Classic.
Daan Haven, a redshirt freshman, led the way and true freshman Angela Saitta finished 12th in her maroon and gold debut. Haven will sit out this race, but Saitta laces up once again for ASU.
Senior standout Chelsey Albertson didn't make the trip to Flagstaff, but the runner-up at last season's Dave Murray Invitational is expected to make her 2017 debut this weekend.
"On the women's side, among Samantha Ortega, Chelsey Albertson and Cecile Lejeune, those three individuals should be up front for us," Rasmussesn said. "It's a good opportunity for everyone who is ready to go at this point in time."
What to Watch For
With top-finisher from the season-opener Daan Haven out of the lineup this week, the Sun Devil women will likely turn to a veteran to lead them across the line in Tucson.
Chelsey Albertson opens her senior campaign this weekend at a course where she has thrived in the past, taking second a season ago and seventh during her sophomore season.
True freshman and France international Cecile Lejeune will make her highly anticipated debut for the Sun Devils, and Anna Pruter will look to build on her ninth-place finish from the season opener.
The 2015 Dave Murray Invitational individual champion Samantha Ortega will don the maroon and gold on a cross country course for the first time since 2015 when she finished 22nd at the NCAA West Regional.
On the men's side, the Sun Devils get their captain back as John Reniewicki makes his return to competition. While the men's team is still on the mend from a few injuries, the two highest-finishing returners from this race a season ago, Reniewicki and Brandon Boys, will compete Friday.
The Sun Devil men will undoubtedly have repeating as champions on their minds, but with defending NCAA champion Northern Arizona scheduled to make the trip as well, the task is more daunting, but the reward will be even sweeter.
Haven's Sun Devil Debut Highlights Week One
Redshirt freshman Daan Haven led the Sun Devil women to a 62-point second place finish, and Nick Dale's 14th-place finish helped the men take third at the George Kyte Classic.
Dale ran a consistent race, clocking an average pace of 5:21 per mile. He held onto his top-25 spot for a majority of the race and finished 14th among collegiate men.
Three other Sun Devil men finished in the top-25, including Brandon Boys, Michael Renner and true freshman Jackson Lewis.
Boys made the biggest move of any Sun Devil, overtaking more than 20 competitors after the halfway point. Boys passed the two-mile mark in 41st and crossed the finish line in 19th.
Renner took 20th and Lewis finished just behind him in 21st. Ryan Normand's 26th-place finish rounded out the ASU top-five that scored 100 points and took third behind defending NCAA champion NAU, and Pac-12 rival UCLA. Kyle Shinn took 31st.
Haven's Sun Devil debut was a memorable one as she led the Sun Devil women to a runner-up finish behind NAU in the 2.6-mile race.
The Sun Devils defeated UCLA, who came into the race ranked seventh in the West, while ASU debuted in the poll at No. 9.
Anna Pruter finished one place behind Haven and Angela Saitta took 12th in her ASU debut.
While Haven, Pruter and Saitta earned top-15 places, all of the Sun Devil scorers finished in the top-20, with Alexis Nichols and true freshman Chamique Duboise finishing 16th and 17th, respectively.
Senior Billie Jo Dytrt took 26th, Emily Gallegos-Francksen finished 27th and Lauren Gavulic finished 30th.
Sun Devil Entries – Dave Murray
Men: Brandon Boys, Nick Dale, Erik Gonzalez, Jackson Lewis, Ryan Normand, John Reniewicki, Michael Renner, Kyle Shinn
Women: Chelsey Albertson, Chamique Duboise, Billie Jo Dytrt, Emily Gallegos-Francksen, Lauren Gavulic, Anastasia Hancock, Cecile Lejeune, Courtney Lewis, Alexis Nichols, Samantha Ortega, Anna Pruter, Angela Saitta
ASU Squads Jump in Regional Poll
Both Arizona State cross country squads jumped a spot in the latest USTFCCCA West Regional rankings.
The Sun Devil women continued to lead the way for ASU as they moved up one spot to No. 8 in the region, overtaking UCLA who they defeated at the George Kyte Classic during week one. the ranking matches the team's highest ranking since week one of 2016.
The Pac-12 continues to dominate the region, claiming nine of the top-15 places including Nos. 1 and 2, Oregon and Stanford, respectively.
On the men's side, the Sun Devils leapfrogged San Jose State to take the No. 12 spot.
They are one of seven Pac-12 men's squads in the top-15, including No. Stanford, No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Washington State.
Their only competition this season featured just one opponent from the West in Pac-12 foe UCLA. The Devils finished one place behind the Bruins in Flagstaff.
TEMPE – After a week off from racing, Arizona State will be back in action Friday in Tucson, and both Sun Devil cross country squads will introduce some familiar faces back into their lineups, including team captain John Reniewicki and senior Chelsey Albertson.
ASU will lineup with some of the same competition it opened the season against two weeks ago, including Arizona, NAU and Grand Canyon among others. Even with new additions to the Sun Devil lineups, coach Jeremy Rasmussen's goals remain unchanged.
"It's about trying to figure out, if we lost to somebody before, how can we make a step forward and get closer to them or beat them," Rasmussen said. "You're going to have situations and scenarios where you're going to be running around the same people, essentially, so it's about how do we make a progression individually, too, and not just as a team."
Defending NCAA champion and No. 1 NAU will look to control the men's race, but the Sun Devils have had success on the Randolph Municipal course the past few years, having won the team and individual title on the men's side in back-to-back tries.
"The course isn't that demanding, so we should be able to run hard and still recover pretty well from it," Rasmussen said. "This week is really about building momentum, building some confidence and being ready to roll once we get to Minneapolis next week."
While ASU's top-finisher from the race a season ago, C.J. Albertson (1st) has graduated, The Devils went one-two in 2016 as Reniewicki finished behind C.J. in the 6K run.
Brandon Boys (5th) and Kyle Shinn (16th) are ASU's other highest-finishing returners.
The Sun Devil women come into the race after finishing second with two freshmen finishing in the top-15 at the George Kyte Classic.
Daan Haven, a redshirt freshman, led the way and true freshman Angela Saitta finished 12th in her maroon and gold debut. Haven will sit out this race, but Saitta laces up once again for ASU.
Senior standout Chelsey Albertson didn't make the trip to Flagstaff, but the runner-up at last season's Dave Murray Invitational is expected to make her 2017 debut this weekend.
"On the women's side, among Samantha Ortega, Chelsey Albertson and Cecile Lejeune, those three individuals should be up front for us," Rasmussesn said. "It's a good opportunity for everyone who is ready to go at this point in time."
Week ??...
— Sun Devil TFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) September 14, 2017
Coach Rasmussen and Chelsey Albertson preview the Dave Murray Invitational!#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/1w393vxJ4V
What to Watch For
With top-finisher from the season-opener Daan Haven out of the lineup this week, the Sun Devil women will likely turn to a veteran to lead them across the line in Tucson.
Chelsey Albertson opens her senior campaign this weekend at a course where she has thrived in the past, taking second a season ago and seventh during her sophomore season.
True freshman and France international Cecile Lejeune will make her highly anticipated debut for the Sun Devils, and Anna Pruter will look to build on her ninth-place finish from the season opener.
The 2015 Dave Murray Invitational individual champion Samantha Ortega will don the maroon and gold on a cross country course for the first time since 2015 when she finished 22nd at the NCAA West Regional.
On the men's side, the Sun Devils get their captain back as John Reniewicki makes his return to competition. While the men's team is still on the mend from a few injuries, the two highest-finishing returners from this race a season ago, Reniewicki and Brandon Boys, will compete Friday.
The Sun Devil men will undoubtedly have repeating as champions on their minds, but with defending NCAA champion Northern Arizona scheduled to make the trip as well, the task is more daunting, but the reward will be even sweeter.
Haven's Sun Devil Debut Highlights Week One
Redshirt freshman Daan Haven led the Sun Devil women to a 62-point second place finish, and Nick Dale's 14th-place finish helped the men take third at the George Kyte Classic.
Dale ran a consistent race, clocking an average pace of 5:21 per mile. He held onto his top-25 spot for a majority of the race and finished 14th among collegiate men.
Three other Sun Devil men finished in the top-25, including Brandon Boys, Michael Renner and true freshman Jackson Lewis.
Boys made the biggest move of any Sun Devil, overtaking more than 20 competitors after the halfway point. Boys passed the two-mile mark in 41st and crossed the finish line in 19th.
Renner took 20th and Lewis finished just behind him in 21st. Ryan Normand's 26th-place finish rounded out the ASU top-five that scored 100 points and took third behind defending NCAA champion NAU, and Pac-12 rival UCLA. Kyle Shinn took 31st.
Haven's Sun Devil debut was a memorable one as she led the Sun Devil women to a runner-up finish behind NAU in the 2.6-mile race.
The Sun Devils defeated UCLA, who came into the race ranked seventh in the West, while ASU debuted in the poll at No. 9.
Anna Pruter finished one place behind Haven and Angela Saitta took 12th in her ASU debut.
While Haven, Pruter and Saitta earned top-15 places, all of the Sun Devil scorers finished in the top-20, with Alexis Nichols and true freshman Chamique Duboise finishing 16th and 17th, respectively.
Senior Billie Jo Dytrt took 26th, Emily Gallegos-Francksen finished 27th and Lauren Gavulic finished 30th.
Sun Devil Entries – Dave Murray
Men: Brandon Boys, Nick Dale, Erik Gonzalez, Jackson Lewis, Ryan Normand, John Reniewicki, Michael Renner, Kyle Shinn
Women: Chelsey Albertson, Chamique Duboise, Billie Jo Dytrt, Emily Gallegos-Francksen, Lauren Gavulic, Anastasia Hancock, Cecile Lejeune, Courtney Lewis, Alexis Nichols, Samantha Ortega, Anna Pruter, Angela Saitta
ASU Squads Jump in Regional Poll
Both Arizona State cross country squads jumped a spot in the latest USTFCCCA West Regional rankings.
The Sun Devil women continued to lead the way for ASU as they moved up one spot to No. 8 in the region, overtaking UCLA who they defeated at the George Kyte Classic during week one. the ranking matches the team's highest ranking since week one of 2016.
The Pac-12 continues to dominate the region, claiming nine of the top-15 places including Nos. 1 and 2, Oregon and Stanford, respectively.
On the men's side, the Sun Devils leapfrogged San Jose State to take the No. 12 spot.
They are one of seven Pac-12 men's squads in the top-15, including No. Stanford, No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Washington State.
Their only competition this season featured just one opponent from the West in Pac-12 foe UCLA. The Devils finished one place behind the Bruins in Flagstaff.