In an unexpected turn of events, the top-ranked University of Colorado men’s cross country team and the second-ranked women’s team did not win another national title in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday. Instead, they both finished second.
No. 2 Syracuse edged out the men by nine points on Saturday afternoon, scoring 82 to Colorado’s 91. Senior runner Pierce Murphy placed third overall for the Buffalo men, which proved to be the best finish for any CU man since Dathan Ritzenhein won the individual national title in 2003.
The women’s race, on the other hand, wasn’t so close. No. 1 New Mexico dominated with 49 overall points, whereas the Buffalo women trailed at 129. Erin Clark placed at the top of the pack for the Buffs at 11th overall.
Although the men didn’t win the title as expected, the women’s second place finish helped the entire cross country team to the best overall race of any school.
