Razorbacks runner-up in Pre-Nationals, Noe top frosh in third

CHARLOTTESVILLE – No. 19 Arkansas finished second in team scoring at the Virginia Pre-Nationals held on the Panorama Farms course as freshman Paityn Noe led the Razorbacks in placing third in 19 minutes, 49.6 seconds in her first race over a 6,000m distance.

No. 6 BYU scored 32 points for the team victory, led by individual winner Carmen Alder, who covered the course in 19:36.2. Arkansas scored 90 points as runner-up from a 2-6-15-27-39 finish.

Host Virginia, ranked No. 7, placed third with 104 points, followed by No. 17 Oregon (117) and Tennessee (135). The rest of the top 10 included Wake Forest (218), Cal Poly (301), Michigan (326), Washington State (345), and Villanova (351). A total of 24 teams ran with enough runners to compile a team score.

Noe finished as the top freshman in the field. Her first 1k split of 3:11.0 had her in 12th place. She moved up to fourth place at the 2k split, 6:33.8, and was 11 at 3k in 9:58.4. At 4k, off a 3:16.5, Noe moved into eighth place and was third at 5k (16:38.7) after a 3:23.9 split. She finished with a 3:11.0 to maintain third place to the finish line.

Sydney Thorvaldson followed Noe to place sixth in 19:58.9 while Mia Cochran finished 15th in 20:17.1 and Laura Taborda placed 27th in 20:38.0. Completing the Razorbacks team score as the fifth finisher was Mary Ellen Eudaly, clocking 20:51.0 in 39th.

The Arkansas crew also included Nyah Hernandez (21:06.2, 56th), Heidi Nielson (21:14.3, 68th), Mackenzie Rogers (21:15.2, 73rd), and Tiana LoStracco (21:36.6, 107th). Chachi Gonzales competed in the B race, posting a time of 22:31.7 for 88th.