The North Carolina’s cross country teams performed poorly in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday. The women finished 30th out of 31 teams while the men finished in last.
What happened?
The Tar Heels raced in a field that included 30 other teams, 19 of which were ranked — including the top three teams in the NCAA.
On the women’s side, Morgan Ilse finished 65th overall and was the first Tar Heel to finish the 6k. Following Ilse closely were three first-years, Mady Clahane, Blair Ramsey and Erin Edmunsen.
For the men, senior Mark Derrick led North Carolina and finished 72nd overall. Derrick was followed by two first-years, Jeremy Brown and Mark Myers, who both finished in the 27th minute in the 8k. The men’s team was rounded out by another first-year, Matt Thornton.
Who stood out?
Ilse, a sophomore, finished at 65 overall and was the first Tar Heel to finish. Ilse’s time of 21:05 was a personal record.
Derrick led the men’s team with a 72nd place finish. Derrick finished at 24:50, just 44 seconds off his personal best.