CROSS COUNTRY SWEEPS SKIPPER INVITE; WOMEN'S PROGRAM EARNS FIRST VICTORY
MARYSVILLE, MI - With the Skipper Invite coming to a close, Cross Country has entered the home stretch of its season with a bang, with both programs earning first-place honors at the Skipper Cross Country Invitational. This marks the first victory for the women's program in its history, while the men's team secured a title defense of the Invitational.
On the men's side, Rochester was led by Wyatt Emmons, who has had an extremely successful season for the Warriors to date. Emmons posted a time of 27:08.10, which was only .20 seconds behind first place in the event.
Emmons has now led the Warriors in all three events the team has competed in this season, also adding a top-ten record for the program in the team's appearance at the Warrior Challenge Invitational earlier this year.
Not far behind in the Skipper Invitational were sophomore Alec Shaw and senior Bradley Baxter. The pair finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the event. Baxter and Shaw have also produced strong seasons thus far, with Baxter finishing alongside Emmons in the Skipper Cross Country Showcase on Sept. 1, and Shaw adding another top-12 finish to his resume.
In Friday's event, seven Warriors made the top 20, producing the team's best group finish this season.
For the women's side, there was also plenty to celebrate on Friday, with junior Heather Eller continuing her successful 2023 season with a fourth-place finish at a time of 20:08.70 in the women's 5K.
Joining Eller in the top 20 were junior Aleah Dymond and sophomore Kylie Jones, posting times of 21:34.90 and 21:38.00, respectively. Rochester also saw strong performances from juniors Erin Norton and Gina Collins, finishing in the upper third of the packed event.
Just like Emmons, Eller has led the Warriors in all three events this season and continues to work towards a high finish in the looming WHAC championships. Eller has recorded a personal best this season, and she along with the rest of her team has helped produce the program's first invite win since its inception.
UP NEXT
Rochester will compete in the upcoming Jayhawk Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 14, before taking on the WHAC Championships on Nov. 3.