Toledo Men Take 12th in National Field on Friday

Friday, October 4

Chicago, Ill.

11:00 a.m.

University of Toledo

Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational

Dominc Serem placed 9th overall in the men's 8K championship at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational on Friday.

Photo by: Sophie Jara

10/4/2024 4:22:00 PM | Men's Cross Country

Final Results

Dominc Serem paced Rockets for second-consecutive meet

TOLEDO, Ohio – Freshman Mercy Kinyanjui led the Toledo women's cross country team to a fifth-place finish at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago on Friday afternoon. The Rockets secured a fifth-place finish with 131 points in the women's 6K championship race, placing ahead of 11 competing teams, including nationally ranked Texas (No. 29) and Wisconsin (No. 10) as well as Indiana, Ohio State and Butler. No. 15 Alabama won the event, while No. 1 NC State took second. Minnesota, Louisville and Toledo round out the top-five teams in the championship race.

Kinyanjui finished with a time of 19:43.03. Seniors Lou Trois and Laura Nicholson placed within the top-25, earning times of 20:14.77 and 20:17.94, respectively. Sophomore Lianna Surtz took 33^rd overall with a time of 20:30.49 while Melody Jebiwot finished 45^th with a time of 20:41.13.

"It was a very solid start to the season for the front of our lineup and I loved how aggressive we were early," said Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. "We were still in third place in the final K, so we definitely have some things to clean up as the season progresses. I like where we are right now, and the most important thing is we got some wins against a nationally ranked squad in Texas and other likely NCAA Qualifiers. That could be huge for us down the road."

In the men's 8K championship race, Dominic Serem paced the squad for the second-consecutive meet. The freshman finished ninth, completing the race with a time of 23:07.35. Joad Martinho was the second Rocket to cross the finish line, earning a final time of 23:30.78 to land in 18th place. The Rockets took 12th as a team against a challenging field, finishing ahead of Drake, Duke and UC Davis.

"Dominic and Joad delivered exceptional performances, beating out some All-American level competitors," said Associate Head Coach Tito Medrano. "I couldn't be prouder of them. As for the team, I'm confident we'll keep building strength throughout our lineup. With our third and fourth runners absent today, with their return, combined with further developing our depth, we will significantly boost our team score moving forward."

Toledo also competed in open races. The women placed first in the 6K race, ahead of No. 29 Texas, Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola Chicago. Senior Olivia Gang led the way, recording a third-place finish with a time of 21:16.84. Bella Early, Bailey Ranta and Aubrey Duhaime earned 10^th, 12^th and 15^th place finishes, respectively.

Tesfaye Young and Abi Yohaness competed for Toledo in the men's open 8K, placing 28^th and 35^th, respectively.

UP NEXT
Toledo men's and women's cross country will return to action on Friday, Oct. 18 when they head to Princeton's Fall Classic in Princeton, N.J. and the Falcon Invitational in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational
Chicago, Ill. | Friday, Oct. 4

Women's 6K Championship
Team Results
1. #15 Alabama - 57
2. #1 NC State - 71
3. Minnesota - 116
4. Louisville – 121
5. Toledo – 131
6. #29 Texas – 169
7. Tulane - 177
8. Loyola Chicago - 251
9. Indiana - 254
10. Ohio State - 281
11. Cal Poly – 282
12. UC Davis – 300
13. #10 Wisconsin – 301
14. Duke – 346
15. Butler – 404
16. Drake – 409

Toledo Individuals
7. Mercy Kinyanjui – 19:43.03
22. Lou Trois – 20:14.77
24. Laura Nicholson – 20:17.94
33. Lianna Surtz – 20:30.49
45. Melody Jebiwot – 20:41.13
62. Emily Vining – 20:56.48
72. Faith Linga – 21:07.19
91. Karina James – 21:18.21
95. Morgan Hicks – 21:19.33
113. Alex Bauer – 21:34.09

Men's 8K Championship
Team Results
1. No.18 Wisconsin – 69
2. No. 10 Alabama – 71
3. No. 14 Butler – 126
4. Cal Poly – 165
5. Loyola Chicago – 165
6. Indiana – 169
7. NC State – 180
8. Tulane – 193
9. Ohio State – 247
10. Minnesota – 262
11. Louisville – 266
12. Toledo – 324
13. Drake – 333
14. Duke – 355
15. UC Davis – 366

Individual Results
9. Dominic Serem – 23:07.35
18. Joad Martinho – 23:30.78
112. Geoff Howles – 25:09.95
114. Joshuah Taylor – 25:13.42
119. Max Matolin – 25:17.23
121. Peter McMahon – 25:19.36
128. Alex Martinez – 25:53.44
130. Sean Smith – 26:19.97

Women's 6K Open
Team Results
1. Toledo - 45
2. No. 29 Texas - 52
3. Northwestern - 61
4. DePaul - 80
5. Loyola Chicago - 106

Individual Results
3. Olivia Gang – 21:16.84
10. Bella Earl – 21:32.48
12. Bailey Ranta – 21:33.86
15. Aubrey Duhaime – 21:37.83
27. Cadence Christie – 22:05.16
32. Margrett Watt – 22:16.96
38. Ella Kurto – 22:32.48

Men's 8K Open
Individual Results
28. Tesfaye Young – 26:25.00
35. Abi Yohaness – 27:26.37