WASHINGTON – With both the men's and women's races stocked with ranked squads and talented athletes, both the men's and women's cross country teams finished 10th in the Garnet Races at the FSU Invitational / Pre-National Meet. The men's field featured 12 ranked teams and three receiving votes, including the GU men. The women's field featured nine ranked squads, including the No. 24 women, as well as three teams receiving votes.
 
ON THE RECORD WITH BRANDON BONSEY
"Today was a step in the right direction. We are trending in a positive direction heading into the postseason, which is great to see. That race was loaded so there's no shame in getting 10th. We still haven't put together a race that shows what we are capable of but I know that's coming. Matthew Young once again did a great job of leading us. This team has taken a little longer to come together than I probably would have anticipated but I know that breakout race is coming. We are excited to now prepare for the BIG EAST meet in two weeks." - Head Men's Cross Country Coach Brandon Bonsey
 
GEORGETOWN MEN TAKE 10th IN STACKED FIELD AT PRE-NATIONALS (10th, 331 points) - 8,000 METERS

• For the second-consecutive race, Matthew Young was the top scorer for the Hoyas as he finished 37th (23:39.3) in the 8K race to pace the squad.
• Georgetown's top three runners all finished sub-24 as Young was joined by Parker Stokes and Quinn Nicholson with the trio maintaining a spread of 17.3 seconds.
• The Hoyas, currently receiving votes, finished 10th, behind eight ranked teams and one receiving votes. The Blue & Gray bested four ranked teams, in No. 17 Wake Forest (15th; 401 points), No. 25 Weber State (16th; 454), No. 28 Ole Miss (11th; 349) and No. 30 Charlotte (17th; 496) as well as Duke (13th; 367), also receiving votes in the most recent poll.
• GU Point Scorers: 37. Matthew Young, 23:39.3 (37); 52. Parker Stokes, 23:51.8 (52); 62. Quinn Nicholson, 23:56.6 (62); 82. Jack Salisbury, 24:07.6 (82); 98. Shea Weilbaker, 24:14.7 (98)
• Team Results (top 15 of 40): 1. No. 1 Northern Arizona (64); 2. No. 7 Colorado (128); 3. No. 8 Arkansas (128); 4. No. 5 BYU; 5. No. 2 Notre Dame; 6. No. 24 Texas (233); 7. Princeton (271); 8. Florida State (281); 9. No. 22 Alabama (325); 10. Georgetown (331); 11. No. 28 Ole Miss (349); 12. Montana State (364); 13. Duke (367); 14. California Baptist (376); 15. No. 17 Wake Forest (401)

 
ON THE RECORD WITH MITCHELL BAKER
"The exposure of racing in a field of this quality offers a lot of lessons for this group. Our top four athletes continue to be very solid, but they each come away knowing there are nuances to racing in this caliber of field that are more apparent now. For those reasons, the race served its purpose. For our 5th-11th racers today, and for those we rested from competition, the takeaway is that we are making progress but have significant work left to close gaps and prepare for the competitiveness of the BIG EAST meet. I believe in this group and am excited to see how they improve in the coming weeks." - Women's Distance Coach Mitchell Baker
 
No. 24 WOMEN FINISH 10th AMONG STRONG FIELD AT PRE-NATIONALS (10th, 317 points) - 6,000 METERS

• In the third-straight race this season, Maggie Donahue was the top performer for the Blue & Gray, finishing 24th overall in a very strong field. As was the case the last time out, teammate Sami Corman was on the shoulder of Donahue, taking 25th and finishing one-tenth of a second behind her.
• Keeping the pack running mentality, Kiera Bothwell and Baylee Jones had a spread of eight-tenths of a second, finishing 54th and 56th, respectively.
• GU Point Scorers: 26. Maggie Donahue, 20:19.6 (26); 27. Sami Corman, 20:19.7 (27); 54. Kiera Bothwell, 20:43.9 (54); 56. Baylee Jones, 20:44.7 (56); 160. Katherine Modrall, 21:53.7 (154).
• Team Results (top 15 of 33): 1. No. 5 Colorado (54); 2. No. 10 Utah (149); 3. No. 15 Florida State (163); 4. No. 14 Ole Miss (165); 5. No. 12 North Carolina (184); 6. No. 11 Arkansas (243); 7. No. 16 Northern Arizona (279); 8. Liberty (279); 9. Illinois (302); 10. No. 24 Georgetown (317); 11. No, 28 Toledo (335); 12. No. 27 Kentucky (342); 13. Weber State (365); 14. Ohio State (370); 15. Duke (379)

 
UP NEXT
Both squads will rest before the championship portion of the schedule. The women are the reigning BIG EAST champions and will be on the hunt for a seventh team title while Sami Corman is in the mix to defend her individual title from a season ago. The men's team finished second during the 2020 season. The 2021 BIG EAST Championships will be held on Friday, October 29 in Carmel, Indiana.