The men's and women's cross country teams finished 12th and 15th, respectively, in the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis over the weekend.
The Griak Invitational is one of the largest cross country meets in the nation, hosting more than 3,000 runners from over 50 schools.
Sophomore Robert Cheseret led the Wildcats individually, running his eight-kilometer course in a time of 24:14 to finish fifth. Freshman Mohamed Trafeh was the next Wildcat to finish, more a minute behind Cheseret, putting Trafeh in 47th overall. Redshirt freshman Chris Ogle and sophomore Kenny Franks finished in 76th place with identical times of 25:56.
For the third week in a row, senior Beth Hoge was the top finisher for the women, placing 33rd in the six-kilometer race. Hoge clocked in at 22:06, 27 seconds ahead of the next Arizona runner, freshman Emily McGregor in 55th place. Junior Amber Steen crossed the finish line next for Arizona in 88th place with a 23:07 time, followed closely by sophomore Ashley Ippolito.
In cross country meets, the team score is determined by the finish of the school's top seven racers.
The men had their shortest span of the season with a two minute, 24 second spread. The women's team had an even shorter spread with a one minute, 33 second difference.
Arizona has two weeks until their next meet in Gilbert hosted by Arizona State on Oct. 8.