KENOSHA, Wis. - The RU men's and women's cross country teams began their season over the weekend at the Early Bird Virtual Invitational hosted by Carthage College. Rockford had 11 total athletes compete, including six men and five women. Overall the RU men's team finished in fifth place, while the women's team placed third. Individually Rockford had numerous excellent performances, including multiple personal best times. 

Men's Results - 3K

• Rockford was led by a pair of freshmen in its first meet of the season.
• Dominick Welte took first place amongst Rockford's six male participants and finished the 3K race in 9:45. Overall Welte placed 45th in a talented field that featured some of the top teams and runners in the country.
• Christopher Duron Jr. came in second for Rockford and 60th overall, crossing the finish line in 10:22.
• Returner Antoine Callebaut was a close third and 72nd overall with a time of 10:33.
• A trio of freshmen rounded out Rockford's final three participants.
• Ryan Sweeney completed the race in 10:43 to finish fourth for Rockford and 76th overall.
• Austin Brown came in fifth for the Regents and 87th overall with a time of 12:39.
• Enrique Perez rounded out Rockford's field of runners with a time of 12:49 and an 88th place finish.

Women's Results - 3K

• It was a race for Rockford's top two spots, with first and second place separated by only 3.8 seconds. 
• Returner Kellie Frerichs ultimately came out on top for the Regents, crossing the finish line in 13:49.0 and finishing 16th overall.
• Freshman Victoria Folmar was nipping right at her heals, as she placed 17th overall and completed the 3K race with a time of 13:52.8. 
• Newcomer Emily Teagardin took third place for the Regents and 20th overall with a time of 15:10.4.
• Freshman Abigail Wagner completed the 3K race in 15:49.6 to finish fourth for Rockford and 21st overall.
• Returner Taylor Mundt capped off Rockford's weekend by crossing the finish line in 17:42.2 and placing 22nd.

"I was very pleased with how well everyone ran in our first virtual competition of the year," Head Coach James Diamond remarked. "For many of them this was their first race since March, and despite all of that time off, we had a surprising amount of personal records and standout performances."

"On the men's side, Dominick won by running a conservative first kilometer and pushing hard over the last mile of the race. Antoine and Chris ran PR's, while Ryan ran a top 3 personal performance."

"On the women's team, Victoria and Kellie ran side by side until the last 800m, when Kellie started to pull ahead and won with a strong kick. Both Kellie and Victoria also ran personal bests."

The RU cross country teams will return to competition on Tuesday, September 15 for the Regent Relays virtual meet.