Wake Forest University
Pre-Nationals Invitational
Deacs Compete in Wisconsin at Pre-Nationals
10/13/2018 3:25:00 PM | Cross Country
Wake Forest men finish 11th, women finish 18th in Madison
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
MADISON, Wis. – The Wake Forest men's and women's cross country teams competed against elite fields Saturday at the 2018 Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. The meet was held at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, home to this year's NCAA Championship meet.
In a meet featuring most of the top teams in the nation, each gender was separated into two evenly-seeded races. The Demon Deacons finished 11th in the men's white race and 18th in the women's white race.
In the men's white race, the Deacs finished 11th in a field that featured nine of the top 30 teams in the nation. Zach Facioni led four Demon Deacons that posted top-100 finishes with an 18th place finish in a time of 24:08.70. Mitchell Day crossed in 58th place, while Daniel Viegra was 85th and Joaquin Martinez De Pinillos was 94th. Jack Tiernan (129th place) and Craig Corti (142nd place) rounded out the Wake Forest lineup.
"Today's race was a solid, not great, day for the men," said head coach John Hayes. "We have to tighten up our 1-2 and our 5-7 has to be significantly better, We did not back off for this race, so I know the improvements are there. They are a great, hard-working group and I'm very excited about the championship portion of our season."
In the women's white race, the Demon Deacons competed against a field that included 10 nationally ranked squads. Samantha Halvorsen led the Demon Deacons with a 26th place finish, crossing in a time of 20:52.53. Mimi Smith followed with a 63rd place finish, while Elise Wright, Hannah Brookover and Johanna Schulz rounded out the scoring five for Wake Forest with finishes on 113, 137 and 155, respectively. Meredith Helton rounded out the lineup with a 176th place finish.
"Sam had a great day and she executed her race well despite being sick all week," said women's head coach Michelle Chewens. "As a whole, we fell short of our goal but we know what we need to work on. Getting out better and working as a group through the last 2k is what we will work on in the weeks to come. Our main focus has always been on the end of the season and the women are eager to get back to training to prepare for the ACCs in two weeks."
The Demon Deacons return to action on October 26 at the ACC Championships in Boston.
Players Mentioned
