Wildcats Place Third, Fifth at the Rim Rock Collegiate Classic

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas State men's and women's cross country teams made a return to Rim Rock Farms and the Rim Rock Collegiate Classic on Saturday, as the women's team finished third overall with 106 points behind two individuals in the top-10 for the third-straight meet.

The Wildcat women placed two individuals in the top-10 overall for the third time this season, as sophomore Cara Melgares finished fifth with a time of 21:56.5 and senior Emma Wren earned sixth in 22:00.5. Sophomore Kassidy Johnson was the third Wildcat to finish in the top-25, finishing in 21^st with a time of 22:53.4.

"It was good to see Cara (Melgares) and Emma (Wren) run the way they did and get into the top-10," Head Coach Ryun Godfrey said. "Cara ran a little more aggressive to start, but it was good to see them work off each other and run a good race."

With Melgares, Wren and Johnson leading the way, junior Anna Keeley ran a 23:13.3 to finish 29^th overall, followed by sophomore Victoria Robinson (53^rd, 24:03.4), and freshman Karley Larson (70^th, 24:45.2).

After the women's race wrapped up, the K-State men took on the challenging 8k course at Rim Rock Farms, where freshman Cooper Schroeder led the way for the Wildcats with a seventh-place finish in 24:48.9. Senior Joe Gorthy crossed the finish line shortly after Schroeder, finishing in 11^th place in 25:01.0.

"That was a great effort from a true freshman," Godfrey said of Schroeder's performance. "Individually, our guys are running well, but we have a few injuries that are keeping some guys out that could really benefit our team."

In addition to the great race from Schroeder, fellow freshman Charlie Parrish put together a solid race by finishing 33^rd in 25:49.0, closely followed by freshman Dylan Brenneman, who finished 35^th overall in 25:57.1. The K-State men went on to finish fifth overall, scoring 122 points.

Following the Rim Rock Collegiate Classic, the Wildcats will travel to the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Illinois on October 12. Newman Golf Course, which serves as the course of the Bradley Pink Classic will also be the site of the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional meet on November 9.

For the latest on K-State cross country, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateXC or on the team's Facebook page.

Rim Rock Collegiate Classic
Lawrence, Kansas
Rim Rock Park

Women's team finishes: 1. Kansas, 26 points; 2. UMKC, 58 points; 3. Kansas State, 106 points; 4. Fort Hayes State, 169 points; 5. Central Arkansas, 175 points; 6. Truman, 179 points; 7. Cowley College, 181 points; 8. Missouri Western, 252 points; 9. Nebraska-Kearney, 259 points; 10. Central College, 265 points; 11. Central Missouri, 270 points; 12. Southeastern Oklahoma, 296 points; 13. Oral Roberts, 306 points; 14. John Brown, 358 points; 15. Cobly Community College, 431 points; 16. Haskell Indian Nations, 488 points;

Women's top-5: 1. Sharon Lokedi, Kansas, 19:49.4; 2. Ally Ryan, Unattached, 21:36.5; 3. McKenzie Wilks, Kansas, 21:41.6; 4. Mia Jerman, UMKC, 21:51.0; 5. Cara Melgares, Kansas State, 21:56.5

K-State women's finishes: 5. Cara Melgares, 21:56.5; 6. Emma Wren, 22:00.5; 21. Kassidy Johnson, 22:53.4; 29. Anna Keeley, 23:13.3; 53. Victoria Robinson, 24:03.4; 70. Karley Larson, 24:45.2.

Men's team finishes: 1. Kansas, 27 points; 2. UMKC, 96 points; 3. Fort Hayes State, 118 points; 4. Nebraska-Kearney, 118 points; 5. Kansas State, 122 points; 6. Colby Community College, 179 points; 7. Central Missouri, 253 points; 8. Central College, 266 points; 9. Missouri Western, 283 points; 10. Cowley College, 305 points; 11. Truman, 323 points; 12. John Brown, 384 points; 13. Haskell Indian Nations, 436 points; 14. Central Arkansas, 450 points; 15. Oral Roberts, 490 points.

Men's top-5: 1. Joe Moore, Unattached, 24:07.7; 2. Dylan Hodgson, 24:30.7; 3. Corbin Hansen, Nebraska-Kearney, 24:38.3; 4. Michael Melgares, Kansas, 24:38.6; 5. Ben Butler, Kansas, 14:43.5.

K-State men's finishes: 7. Cooper Schroeder, 24:48.9; 11. Joe Gorthy, 25:01.0; 33. Charlie Parrish, 25:49.0; 35. Dylan Brenneman, 25:57.1; 51. Kurt Loevenstein, 26:20.7; 56. Pierce Flanders, 26:27.4; 75. Noah Stevenson, 26:39.7; 96. Travis Hodge, 27:06.1.

Wildcats Place Third, Fifth at the Rim Rock Collegiate Classic

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Players Mentioned

Dylan Brenneman

Pierce Flanders

Joe Gorthy

Travis Hodge

Kassidy Johnson

Anna Keeley

Karley Larson

Kurt Loevenstein

Cara Melgares

Charlie Parrish

Victoria Robinson

Cooper Schroeder

Noah Stevenson

Emma Wren