Wildcats’ cross-country teams struggle at Big 12 Championships

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The K-State men's cross-country team warms up on a trail during an early morning practice at Frank Anneberg Park on Oct. 8, 2015. (File Photo by Cassandra Nguyen | The Collegian)

The Kansas State cross-country teams competed in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, struggling to a pair of low finishes.

The men’s team finished eighth of nine, while the women finished 10th of 10.

Junior Bryan Zack and senior Lukas Koch each posted their best finishes at the Big 12 meet, with Zack finishing 34th and Koch finishing 44th in the eight-kilometer race, placing them near the middle of the 81-runner field. Junior Sam Oxandale also ran, finishing 56th.

“The guys did not race like they did last year so we are a little disappointed,” K-State head coach Ryun Godfrey said to K-State Sports. “I thought (Zach) ran really well. I also felt that (Oxandale) had a pretty good day. We had a couple of guys that had good races and a couple of guys that did not have good races. That is just how it goes sometimes.”

Things did not go well on the women’s side either. Senior Morgan Wedekind finished in 36th, while junior Kayla Doll took 44th and freshman Sydney Collins took 64th among 90 finishers of the six-kilometer race.

“It was a tough race, especially on the women’s side,” Godfrey said to K-State Sports. “We did not run like we should be running. But I did not see anybody quit out there. Everybody gave the best that they had on the day.”

The team’s next meet will be the NCAA Midwest Regional meet in Iowa City, Iowa, on Nov. 11.

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Shelton grew up in the desert southwest. A native of Lancaster, California, he mostly grew up in south Phoenix, Arizona; Austin, Texas; and Colorado Springs, Colorado before moving to Kansas and graduating from Junction City High School. He started working as a news writer for the Collegian in 2009 before taking a three-year break from college. He returned to K-State in 2013 and has since worked for the news desk, feature desk, as a copy editor and now as a sports writer. He enjoys tap dancing, writing anything possible, reading court opinions and watching Arizona Coyotes hockey.