Weekend's Top College Meet Features Three Of Top Five Women's Teams, Plus No. 4 NAU Men Racing No. 9 Notre Dame

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

John Nepolitan photo

The University of Notre Dame will welcome top-end competition to this year’s Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Friday at the Burke Golf Course in South Bend, Ind., featuring a top-five showdown on the women’s side.

The newly appointed No. 1 Northern Arizona women, last year’s runner-up at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Va, will face their toughest challenge to this point in the season, going up against No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 5 BYU in the women’s blue 5-kilometer race, set to go off at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.

The Lumberjacks come to Indiana off a dominating team win at the Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson, Arizona, on Sept. 28, handling New Mexico State with ease 20-55, led by Ava Mitchell earning second overall in 20 minutes, 45.3 seconds for the 6k race. 

Set to race for NAU at Joe Piane are NCAA track and field All-Americans Maggi Congdon and Karrie Baloga, NCAA cross country competitors Maisie Grice and Alexis Kebbe and All-Big Sky performers Anna Fenske, Nikita Moore and Keira Moore. 

Alyson Churchill, an All-American transfer from Florida State during the indoor season, could make her cross country debut with NAU. Churchill is the top returner from last year’s Joe Piane, finishing third overall while representing Florida State.

Host-Notre Dame features Siona Chisholm, Sophie Novak, Erin Strezelecki and Caroline Lehman all back from last year’s second-place team at Joe Piane, along with grad transfer Emily Covert, formerly of Colorado, making her Irish debut. Chisholm finished sixth to the lead the Irish women last year, running 16:26.4. 

BYU, who last raced at Joe Piane in 2018 and won the team title, will feature a compelling line-up of All-Americans Jenna Hutchins, Lexy Halladay-Lowry and Riley Chamberlain and freshman standout Nelah Roberts, who all led the BYU women to win a fifth consecutive Autumn Classic team title on Sept, 13 in Provo. 

No. 25 Michigan State is the only other ranked Division I team in the field, with Eleanor Kendell, Sarah Forsyth, Sophia Lucki, Meghan Beute, Judith Rector and Olivia Millen back from last year’s Big Ten cross country championship team. Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker All-American Rachel Forsyth is expected to make her freshman debut in a Spartan uniform.

Division II powerhouses Adams State and Grand Valley State add to the mix of top women’s teams competing, with the Grizzlies and Lakers coming in at No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the latest Division II national coaches’ poll.

Boise State, Bradley, Cal Baptist, Liberty, Texas Tech, Washington State and Wyoming will be represented well in the women’s blue race.

Similar to the women’s team, the No. 4 NAU men face a tall order against No. 9 Notre Dame in their first top 10 match-up of the fall in the men’s 8k race at 11:15 a.m. 

NAU only returns one runner from last year’s NCAA runner-up squad in Corey Gorgas but do bring back track and field All-American Colin Sahlman and All-Big Sky performers Kang Nyoak and Cael Grotenhuis. 

David Mullarkey joins NAU after a career spent at Florida State, where he was a multiple time All-ACC performer and All-American in track and field for the Seminoles.

The Fighting Irish will have CJ Singleton, Ethan Coleman, Carter Solomon, Robert Cozean and Gabe Hinrichs on the start line from last year’s group that won Joe Piane over Florida State 87-95. Singleton is Notre Dame’s top individual back from last year’s meet, having finished 13th in 23:45.9.

Oregon transfer Izaiah Steury and highly regarded freshman Drew Griffith are expected to be in uniform for Notre Dame making their debuts.

Texas Tech is another team of interest expected to be up front with NAU and Notre Dame after bringing in a plethora of star-studded underclassmen to their roster.

The Red Raiders will race freshmen Ernest Cheruiyot, Nathan Kapel and Edwin Kiprono and sophomores Vincent Koech and Dieon Kiplimo for the very first time together. 

Cheruiyot joined Texas Tech in the spring of 2024, going on to earn fourth place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters. 

Washington State also features a talented freshman of their own in Evans Kurui, who broke Edward Cheserek’s 8k course record at the Cougar Classic in Colfax, Wash., on Sept. 13, running 22:46.8 to best the former Oregon legend’s time by 20 seconds.

Cal Baptist and Michigan State are the latest Division I programs to enter the national coaches’ poll that will be at Joe Piane, with Cal Baptist coming in at No. 29 and Michigan State at No. 30.

Division II schools Grand Valley State, No. 5, and Adams State, No. 6, both bring in strong teams aiming to compete well with the top end of the field.

Boise State, Liberty, Purdue and Wyoming aim to be the other top teams racing in the men’s field.