MEN'S AND WOMEN'S RESULTS (Port City Timing)
MEN'S RESULTS (PDF) | WOMEN'S RESULTS (PDF)
NEW ORLEANS – First-place finishes from
Mason Appleton and the women's team capped an outstanding performance by the University of New Orleans cross country program at the Azalea City Classic on Friday evening.
Running without junior leader
Emma Bourg, the young Privateer women picked up their first victory since last season's Nicholls XC Invitational. They have now won their second meet of the year in back-to-back seasons.
Sophomore
Petra Imre led the way for UNO with a time of 17:58.0, good for second place behind South Alabama's Charleen Elizondo. First-year Privateer
Anais Sulpice finished third in 18:10.8, and sophomore
Michela Papalia gave UNO three of the top five finishers with a time of 18:32.6. Imre's time tied Gina Grove for fourth place all time at UNO, with Sulpice (fifth) and Papalia (10th) also adding top-10 times to the program's record book.
New Orleans' remaining women all finished in the top 20 of Friday's three-miler. Freshman
Alexa Daverio finished 10th in 19:15.4, sophomore
Daira Rojas Vasquez placed 14th in 19:58.5, and freshman
Candilynn Vega was 17th in 20:26.6.
Appleton's strong start to the season continued with a first-place finish in 22:30.0 — five seconds ahead of South Alabama's Xavier Johnson. His win was the first individual victory by a Privateer male since Kolyn Saltzman won the Allstate Sugar Bowl XC Festival in 2019, and the 11th in program history.
The Privateer men placed five runners in the top 16 overall, with all six finishing in the top 20 of the men's 7K.
Antonio Delgado placed in the top 10 for the first time in his career with a time of 23:50.8. Freshman
Landen Juneau finished 11th in 24:03.6. Redshirt freshman
Alex Williams, making his cross country debut, placed 14th in 24:12.6. Freshmen
Ben Stumm and
Brandt Blanchard were 16th and 17th in 24:22.3 and 24:25.7, respectively. Freshman
Henry Livingston rounded out the group in 20th with a time of 24:42.0.
The UNO men finished second overall with 52 points, behind South Alabama. Friday evening's race was the first 7K in program history due to construction at Langan Park making parts of the regular course unavailable.
New Orleans returns to action in two weeks, on Oct. 17, at the Arturo Barrios Invitational hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. Fans can follow @PrivateersTFXC on X and Instagram for updates during the races.
HEAD COACH CLAYTON O'CALLAGHAN
On the women's team performance:
"I thought the women ran really well. We challenged them this week to go out, work together in groups, and race with confidence to see if we could win the team title. That's exactly what we were able to do tonight. I'm really proud of how they handled the race — it will give us a lot of confidence heading into Texas A&M in a couple of weeks, where we're more familiar with both the course and the teams we'll face. I hope we can continue to race at the standard we've set this season."
On Mason Appleton's:
"Tonight was the culmination of the great mindset Mason has had all season. He's been focused on the little things and committed to consistency. It was great to see that effort pay off for him. Our goal of getting into the 23:40s at Texas A&M is definitely within reach for him."
On the men's team performance:
"I thought the rest of the guys handled tonight really well — for most of them, it was their first time racing beyond 5K. It was a big learning experience. They found each other in the pack early, worked together, and made some strong moves late in the race. I'm really proud of them for finishing second as a team, especially considering how young we are on the men's side. The future is exciting."
FINAL RESULTS
UNO Women – 1st Place (34 points)
2
Petra Imre 17:58.0
3
Anais Sulpice 18:10.8
5
Michela Papalia 18:32.6
10
Alexa Daverio 19:15.4
14
Daira Rojas Vasquez 19:58.5
17
Candilynn Vega 20:26.6
UNO Men – 2nd Place (52 points)
1
Mason Appleton 22:40.0
10
Antonio Delgado 23:50.8
11
Landen Juneau 24:03.6
14
Alex Williams 24.12.6
16
Ben Stumm 24:22.3
17
Brandt Blanchard 24.25.7
20
Henry Livingston 24:42.0
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