Three Canes Earn Top 10 Finishes at FAU Invitational
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Miami had three cross country runners earn top 10 finishes at the sixth annual FAU Invitational on Friday night.
In just her fourth-ever collegiate race, sophomore Ryley Howard highlighted the night’s event with her third-place finish in the women’s 5K with a time of 18:36.09. Howard shed nearly 10 seconds off her time from her opening race last season and distance coach Cody Halsey is excited to see what Howard will be able to accomplish as the season progresses.
“It’s great to see Ryley compete because she shows the team that you don’t have to be a junior or senior to be a leader here,” Halsey said. “She’s the type of person who wants to learn and wants to get better. There’s a lot to come from Ryley and I think her eagerness to get out there and want to improve every day makes her that much better.”
Junior Emma Langlois boasted the Canes next best finish, coming in 13th with her time of 19:48.72, besting all five of her performances from last season. Friday’s opening race was also the first time Langlois has ran a sub-20 minute 5K in six races.
Freshman Morgan Mehmel was the next Cane to cross the finish line with her time of 20:22.25, while Molly Rickels and Alison Johnson rounded out the Miami competitors. It was a day of firsts for Miami, but Halsey was proud of the effort the entire team showed.
“I told them I don’t want them to be afraid to hurt and compete out there. I wanted them to get better in a racing environment and utilize the atmosphere and I think they did that,” Halsey said. “They worked hard and that’s all I asked for.”
On the men’s side, three Canes registered three top 20 finishes, including two in the top 10. Freshman Andrew Madden made a statement in his first race in the orange and green as Madden finished fifth with a time of 15:45.70 in the men’s 5K. Dylan Sykes was close behind as the junior finished seventh at 15:55.55.
Matthew Wiefels closed out the top-20 finishers for the Canes, finishing 19th with a time of 16:35.47.
Miami will have three weeks to prepare for the next race at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational on Sept. 20. The timing is needed for the young Canes squad and is something Halsey will utilize in her favor to help the teams improve in the next race.
“I’m just excited to get back to work with them,” Halsey said. “Races are a great testament to their fitness, but being such a young team and having these new expectations is something that will work in our favor over these next few weeks.”
