The PVCC men finished 2nd, and the women finished 4th, at the 2023 Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational in Wisconsin Saturday. The meet, held on a very wet and muddy course, was hosted by the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse at the Maple Grove Venue in West Salem, WI. "This was a good test for us today," commented coach David Barney, "We've run in the rain before, but never on a course this wet, soft and muddy. Both teams maintained their composure and ran really well." 

 

The men's team scored 113 points and was led by sophomore Nate Pestka, who placed 2nd overall in a time of 25:01. "Nate went out and raced today," said Barney. "He's starting to realize how good he can be." Pestka was followed by freshman Jackson Bland, who finished 19th in 25:47.4; sophomore Jason Lundgren, 34th (26:11.4); freshman Dallon Walker, 36th (26:15.1); freshman Peyton Schneider, 58th (26:37.0); sophomore Caleb Villegas, 75th (27:01.1); freshman Jaxon Zimmerman, 84th (27:13.7); and freshman Jacob Soukup, 101st (27:30.8). "Our men had a good, solid race today," stated Barney, "We're coming along. When we get all eight cylinders firing, we should be pretty strong," The individual winner of the men's 8000m race was Mohammed Bati of Augsburg University with a time of 24:44.3 and the team champion was host UW-La Crosse who scored 32 points. 

 

The women's team scored 176 points in their fourth-place effort. Leading the Puma charge, with a seventh-place overall finish, was sophomore Jazmin Estrada, running a time of 23:02.9 over the 6000m course. "Jazmin has really taken her running to a new level, I'm very excited to see how good she can be," remarked coach Barney. Giving chase to Estrada were freshman Keira Damron, 55th (24:27.5); freshman Mackenzie Bethancourt, 55th (24:27.5); freshman Olivia Coulston, 61st (24:30.3); freshman Rachael Bethancourt, 84th (24:57.6); and sophomore Aspen LeSueur, 175th (26:34.7). "Our women continue to impress," said Barney, "That's the highest we have ever placed at this meet!" The individual champion in the women's race was Deyanneira Colon Maldonado of Aurora University with a time of 22:16.4 and the team champion was host UW-La Crosse who scored 27 points. 

 

The next outing for the Pumas will be the NJCAA Region I Cross Country Championship meet at Glendale Heroes Park on October 28 at 9:00am.