Cross Country With Runner-Up Finishes Saturday

Saturday, September 7

Florence, Ala.

8:30 am CT

University of Memphis

North Alabama Invitational (M: 8k/W: 5k)

Women's Group, 2019 Women's Cross Country

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Sep 08, 2019 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

UNA Invitational (Men's Results)UNA Invitational (Women's Results)

Zachary Wyatt wins men's race; Gabrielle Byndas fifth in women's event.

FLORENCE, Ala. – University of Memphis' Zachary Wyatt and Gabrielle Byndas were the men's and women's cross country top finishers, respectively, in leading the Tigers to second-place team performances in both races at the North Alabama Invitational Saturday.

The men's 8k and women's 5k events were held at McFarland Park in Florence. It was the first time North Alabama hosted a cross country event since 2007.

Zachary Wyatt placed first in the men's 8k race in a time of 25:36.8, and Byndas was fifth in the women's 5k with a time of 18:46.2.

The men's team placed second (47 points) to host North Alabama (37). The Tigers women's squad was second (58 points) to Mississippi State (47).

Up Next
The Tigers take a break after running the first two weekends of the 2019 campaign and return to the course Sept. 21 when they compete in the annual Rhodes College Invitational. The races start at 8:30 a.m. (CT) at Shelby Farms.

Tigers Tidbits

Memphis posted its best finishes for men and women at the same event since the 2016 Rhodes College Invitational, where both squads won their respective titles (men's 8k/women's 5k).
The Tigers' scores Saturday were their best since that same 2016 Rhodes College Invitational. At that 2016 event, the men won with 43 points and the women with 26 points.
In Saturday's race at North Alabama, all five Memphis men's runners finished in the top-25. It is the first time the Tigers' top-five runners did that in an 8k event since the 2017 Greater Louisville Classic.
On the women's side, all five Tigers placed among the top-20. It is the first time Memphis had all five women runners finish in the top-20 in a 5k event since the 2017 Rhodes College Invitational.
Memphis took the top-three spots in the men's race Saturday. Following Zachary Wyatt across the finish line were Tate Wyatt, his twin brother, in second and freshman Jake Hollinger in third. The race was the collegiate debut for Hollinger, who did not compete in last weekend's Memphis Twilight Classic.
Zachary Wyatt's title marked the third-straight cross country season a Tiger won an event. Last season, Matthew Viveiros won the Rhodes College Invitational, and in 2017, Julian Sanchez-Pinto was first at the Greater Louisville Classic.
Twelve freshman (6 men/6 women) competed in the North Alabama Invitational Saturday.
Gabrielle Byndas ran a 5k personal-best of 18:46.2, improving her previous-best by more than 25 seconds (19:12.8 at 2016 Rhodes College Invitational).
Gabrielle Byndas also posted her career-best 5k finish with her fifth-place performance Saturday.
Erin Gilbert recorded her personal-best time and career-high finish Saturday. She shaved 11 seconds off her previous-best time (19:58.8 at 2018 Brooks Twilight Classic).
Madi Ray improved her 5k personal-best time by more than 20 seconds (20:12.9 at 2018 Brooks Twilight Classic).
Tate Wyatt shaved three seconds off his previous-best 8k time of 24:45.9.

Men's Results (8k)/Team Finish: 2^nd(47 points)

Place	Runner	Time
1.	Zachary Wyatt	25:36.8
2.	Tate Wyatt	25:42.2
3.	Jake Hollinger	25:44.5
18.	Max Rathburn	27:16.8
23.	Jason Doland	27:27.5
24.	Brendan Hill	27:31.0
28.	Clay Campbell	27:38.9
	Nicholas Weber	27:39.9
	Emmanuel Cullins	27:53.5
	Jacob Pringle	28:13.5

Women's Results (5k)/Team Finish: 2^nd(58 points)

Place	Runner	Time
5.	Gabrielle Byndas	18:46.2
10.	Chloe Figgins	19:17.5
11.	Hannah Anderson	19:20.6
13.	Sonsoles Martin Rodriguez	19:24.9
19.	Erin Gilbert	19:47.2
21.	Olivia Tolkinen	19:49.4
22.	Madi Ray	19:52.6
	Solstice Saliba	20:14.3
	Emily Treptow	20:16.9
	Reagan Casey	20:46.5