WAVERLY, Iowa – The Nebraska Wesleyan men's and women's cross country teams delivered solid performances at the Dan Huston Invitational hosted by Wartburg College on Saturday morning, with both squads competing against a challenging field of NCAA Division I and Division III programs.
The Prairie Wolf men placed fifth in a competitive 16-team field in the 8K race, while the women's team battled through a 15-team field in the 6K competition. Both teams showcased impressive individual performances highlighted by personal bests across multiple runners.
Freshman Noah Thomas led the men's squad with a 31st place finish among 278 competitors, crossing the line in a personal-best time of 26:01.5. On the women's side, senior Delaney Vacek paced the Prairie Wolves with a strong 25th place showing out of 199 finishers, completing the 6K course in 24:06.6.
HOW IT HAPPENED
MEN'S 8K
The Prairie Wolf men demonstrated impressive pack running throughout the race, maintaining consistent positioning across the course's checkpoints. Noah Thomas established himself early, passing through the 3K mark in 9:36.4 before closing with a strong final 700 meters to secure his top-team finish.
Diego Chojolan delivered another standout performance for NWU, finishing 41st overall with a personal-best time of 26:23.0. The freshman from Hastings maintained a steady pace throughout, particularly impressing with his final 700-meter split of 2:10.7.
Dylan Lender rounded out the top three for the Prairie Wolves, crossing the line in 57th place with a personal-best 26:46.8. The sophomore from Omaha showed remarkable consistency across his splits, maintaining nearly identical pace through the middle portions of the race.
Thomas Vasquez (26:49.7) and Josh Knispel (26:54.6) completed the scoring five for Nebraska Wesleyan, finishing 62nd and 63rd respectively. The men's team displayed impressive depth with their top five runners finishing within a 53-second spread.
WOMEN'S 6K
The women's team was led by a breakthrough performance from Delaney Vacek, who navigated the challenging course with tactical precision. The Lincoln native moved up steadily throughout the race, improving from 48th position at the 900-meter mark to her eventual 25th place finish in 24:06.6.
Jenna Lake delivered a strong supporting performance, finishing 43rd overall in 24:38.9. The freshman maintained consistent positioning throughout the race and closed with a solid final kilometer.
Payton Jorczak (24:45.0), Aubrey Kipper (24:53.9), and Avary Byers (24:56.3) rounded out the scoring five for the Prairie Wolves, finishing 48th, 55th, and 59th respectively. The women's squad demonstrated impressive pack running with their top five finishers separated by just 49 seconds.
Grace Pyle (25:35.7) and Reese Kozisek (25:37.4) completed the top seven for Nebraska Wesleyan, providing valuable depth for the team's overall performance.
UP NEXT
The Prairie Wolves will have two weeks to prepare before returning to competition at the Augustana Interregional hosted by Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, on Saturday, October 18th. The meet is set to begin at 11:00 AM and will serve as a key late-season test as the teams prepare for conference and regional championships.
