Jayhawk Men and Women Finish Sixth, Seventh at Big 12 Cross Country Championships

Results: MEN | WOMEN
 

Big 12 Championships
Cottonwood Creek Golf Course
Waco, Texas

Sophomore Hannah Richardson was named the the
All-Big 12 team after taking 11th at the conference
championships.
KU Men’s Top 7 Finishers (81 Total)
Name Year Time
13. Josh Munsch SR 23:36.8
15. Evan Landes JR 23:40.5
22. Reid Buchanan JR 23:48.7
35. James Wilson JR 24:20.9
46. Tyler Yunk FR 24:45.4
52. Daniel Koech FR 25:17.8
53. Brendan Soucie JR 25:22.0

 

Men’s Team Finishes (9 Teams)
Team Pts. Av Time
1. Oklahoma State 33
2. Iowa State 77
3. Texas 80
4. Oklahoma 104
5. Texas Tech 117
6. Kansas 123
7. Baylor 196
8. Kansas State 259
9. TCU 281
KU Women’s Top 7 Finishers (88 Total)
Name Year Time
11. Hannah Richardson SO 20:56.8
28. Nashia Baker FR 21:35.9
32. Malika Baker FR 21:41.2
33. Natalie Becker SR 21:42.0
41. Courtney Coppinger FR 21:51.7
57. Rachel Simon FR 22:28.9
60. Julia Dury FR 22:36.3

 

Women’s Team Finishes (10 Teams)
Team Pts. Av Time
1. Iowa State 35
2. West Virginia 104
3. Oklahoma State 116
4. Texas 121
5. Baylor 123
6. Kansas State 123
7. Kansas 138
8. Texas Tech 173
9. Oklahoma 212
10. TCU 330

WACO, Texas – The University of Kansas cross country teams saw three all-conference performances as they competed at the 2013 Big 12 Cross Country Championships at Cottonwood Creek Golf Club Saturday morning. The men finished sixth behind top-15 outings from senior Josh Munsch and junior Evan Landes. Sophomore Hannah Richardson led the women to a seventh-place finish after she took 11th in the individual standings.
 
“I thought our front guys ran well today, but as a team they didn’t run as well as I wanted them to,” said head coach Stanley Redwine. “For the ladies I thought Hannah did a great job and the (Baker) twins did a great job. We’re young and when you’re young there are going to be some mistakes made and things to improve upon. We just need to continue to get better. When you’re that close to third place, there are definitely some things we’re doing well.”
 
On the men’s side, the Jayhawks were up against some stiff competition as they went up against three teams ranked among the top-30 of the national rankings, including the defending national champion Oklahoma State Cowboys.
 
The first half of the race the Jayhawks saw a solid four-man group sticking with the lead pack. At the halfway point of the race the field began to thin out with Munsch, Landes and junior Reid Buchanan pacing the way for the KU men. As the runners hit the final 1,000 meters it was Munsch and Landes who separated themselves with some strong closing kicks down the home stretch.
 
Munsch, who hails from Hays, Kan., posted his best conference finish as a Jayhawk when he crossed the finish in 13th-place, posting an 8K personal best of 23:36.8. The senior’s finish was the highest by a Jayhawk since Donny Wasinger also notched a 13th-place finish at the league meet in 2010.
 
The Mulvane, Kan., native Landes was not far behind as he finished less than four seconds later at 23:40.5 to earn himself a 15th-place finish. The final placement was two spots better than finish of 17th at last year’s Championships and earned him All-Conference honors for the first time. With Munsch’s and Landes’ finishes, the KU men saw two runners named to the All-Big 12 team for the first time since 2006.
 
Buchanan managed to turn in a top-25 finish for the second-consecutive season, as the Manhattan, Kan., product traversed the 8K Cottonwood Creek course in 23:48.7 to place 22nd overall. The race also marked the fastest 8K of his career.
 
Rounding out the men’s top-seven finishers was junior James Wilson (24:20.9) who finished 35th, freshman Tyler Yunk (24:45.4) who placed 46th, freshman Daniel Koech (25:17.8) who took 52nd and junior Brendan Soucie (25:22.0), notching a 53rd-place finish.
 
On the women’s side, the Jayhawks saw a solid outing from Richardson, who became the fifth Kansas woman to earn All-Big 12 accolades in the last five seasons. The sophomore led the KU group from the gun and was joined by senior Natalie Becker for the first half of the 6K race. The two Jayhawks ran together through the first 4K until Richardson pulled ahead. Richardson crossed the finish in 20:56.8 to place 11th overall, her highest finish in a Big 12 meet and the highest by a Jayhawk in two seasons.
 
Twins Nashia and Malika Baker benefitted from strong closing miles to sneak in as the Jayhawks’ second and third finishers. Nashia outpaced her sister down the closing stretch to post a time of 21:35.9 and finish 28th overall. Malika came in six seconds later with her time of 21:41.2 to place 32nd. Both the Baker’s times were the best of their young collegiate careers.
 
Becker came in less than a second after her freshman teammate to finish 33rd overall, completing her 8K in 21:42.0. The rest of KU’s scoring finishers came in less than a minute later with a 41st-place from freshman Courtney Coppinger (21:51.7), a 57th-place finish from freshman Rachel Simon (22:28.9) and a 60th-place finish from freshman Julia Dury (22:36.3).
 
The KU women took seventh at the league meet for the fourth-consecutive season however the team finishes from third through seventh were separated by only 22 points.
 
The Kansas teams will now have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional meet to be held in Ames, Iowa Friday, Nov. 15. The men’s 10K will kick the day off at noon with the women’s 6K slated to start at 1:15 p.m.
 
 
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