TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – North Dakota's men's and women's cross country teams got a taste of the NCAA Tournament as they participated in the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational at the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., Friday morning.

The UND women finished in the top half of team placements in the morning's "Blue" 6k race, finishing 17th out of 43 teams. Of the 43 teams in the women's 6k, No. 2 BYU outlasted No. 1 NC State to win the team event, but NC State's Hannah Gapes was the individual winner by over 15 seconds.

The Fighting Hawk men finished 31st in the field among 44 eligible teams in the "Blue" 8k race. No. 8 Syracuse, the highest ranked team in the field, won with a team score of 115.

Individuals on both the men's and women's side then later competed in the respective 6k and 8k "White" races. Three of the four women who competed set personal bests in that race, while Jonas Weschle finished 14th of 198 runners in the "White" 8k race.

Today's event kicked off with the women's 6k, which started at 9 a.m. CT. The Fighting Hawks had a trio of top-100 finishers in Shewaye Johnson, Olivia Correale and Naja Weiler. Johnson finished 43rd overall and was the highest placing Fighting Hawk for the day. At 20:17.6, Johnson was the 12th-highest finishing senior in the field.

Correale and Weiler also broke the 21-minute mark at 20:27.7 and 20:53.1, respectively. Correale, who claimed Summit League's Peak Performer of the Week on Sept. 29, finished 57th. Weiler crossed the finish line in 96th place after jumping 29 spots ahead from her 4k split.

Marie-Louise Jorgensen also made a significant leap in the middle of the pack, jumping up 34 spots from her 2k split to the 4k mark, ultimately finishing in 21:19.4 to place122nd. Frida Giersdorff rounded out UND's scoring with a 21:19.4 finish, placing 165th.

Katherine Rogers finished in 21:43.5, Leni Hirt earned a 21:43.5 time while Karolina Vynuchalova crossed the line in 22:22.7 to cap the women's race.

Strong finishes highlighted the men's efforts in the 8k. Six of the eight competitors jumped at least 10 places from the 5k split to the finish line, highlighted by Aleksa Milanovic's effort to jump from 279th at the 3k mark, all the way to a 165th place finish.

Matej Hrebacka was UND's first finisher in the 8k. He crossed the finish line in 24:09.2 to finish in 70th place. Louis-Lys Fanucchi followed behind with a 24:18.2 pace to finish 99th. Fanucchi jumped 30 spots to earn his placement.

Milanovic was third across the line for the Fighting Hawks with a 24:35.3 finish. Ethan Adams and Henrik Lindstrot rounded UND scorings, finishing in 24:48.9 and 24:51.4, respectively.

Ian Busche finished just behind Lindstrot at 24:53.9. Weston Forward and Jack Turnbull wrapped the race in scattered times, with Forward coming in at 25:03.8 and Turnbull at 25:30.3.

In the women's "White" 6k race, Addison Beuche, Gabriella Ruggeri and Callie Steen each set personal bests. Beuche was the first Fighting Hawk in the race to finish with a 22:11.6 finish with Morgan Hartze following with a 23:09.1 pace. In the men's "White" 8k race, Weschle had a standout performance, finishing the race in 24:52.1 and claiming 14th place. He outpaced several power conference opponents en route to his finish.

How It Happened 
BLUE RACE
UND Women's Results (6k)
43. Shewaye Johnson – 20:17.6
57. Olivia Correale – 20:27.7
96. Naja Weiler – 20:53.1
122. Marie-Louise Jorgensen – 21:04.4
165. Frida Giersdorff – 21:19.4
(221.) Katherine Rogers – 21:43.5
(222.) Leni Hirt – 21:43.8
288. Karolina Vynuchalova – 22:22.7^

BLUE RACE
UND Men's Point Scorers (8k)
70. Matej Hrebacka – 24:09.2
99. Louis-Lys Fanucchi – 24:18.2
165. Aleksa Milanovic – 24:35.3
210. Ethan Adams – 24:48.9
219. Henrik Lindstrot – 24:51.2
(227.) Ian Busche – 24:53.9
(253.) Weston Forward – 25:03.8
301. Jack Turnbull – 25:30.3^

WHITE RACE
UND Women's Point Scorers (6k)
91. Addison Beuche – 22:11.6*
204. Morgan Hartze – 23:09.1
210. Gabriella Ruggeri – 23:13.9*
217. Callie Steen – 23:20.3*

WHITE RACE
UND Men's Point Scorers (8k)
14. Jonas Weschle – 24:52.1
60. Niko Angell – 25:28.7
73. Owen Chapman – 25:37.1
77. Jacob Sarto – 25:39.4

* - Personal Record
^ - Non-scorer

Post-Meet Notes

• North Dakota got a taste of the NCAA XC Championship course as it preps to earn a bid
• The women claimed 17th place in the 6k, which was in the top half of competing teams (43 total)
• North Dakota competed in the Pre-National Invitational for the first time in its history
• Three Fighting Hawk women finished in the top 100 of the 6k, while two men were top 100 in the 8k

For more information on North Dakota cross country and track and field, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC.