Valby delivers dominant effort in season debut to join Browning as Gators’ champions at Nuttycombe, with Blanks becoming first American-born winner in Madison since 2010; Northern Arizona becomes first program in meet history to sweep both championships, including sixth men’s crown 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

MADISON, Wis. – Parker Valby left the rest of the field behind midway through the women’s 6-kilometer championship race Friday at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, and that remarkable move by the Florida standout included a significant gap against reigning NCAA Division 1 champion Katelyn Tuohy.

Graham Blanks wasn’t able to create any separation from an incredibly deep field until the final 400 meters of the men’s 8-kilometer championship competition at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, but that decisive surge was enough to propel the Harvard standout to victory.

Along with a pair of impressive individual victories was a showcase in depth, grit and determination by both the Northern Arizona men’s and women’s teams, helping the Lumberjacks become the first program in the meet’s 14-year history to sweep both titles in the same year, despite competing in perhaps the most challenging all-time climate at Nuttycombe, as a steady rainstorm created uneven footing and difficult course conditions throughout the event.

RESULTS | RACE VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Keenan Gray | PHOTOS by Carol Chen | PHOTOS by Murray Schukar | PHOTOS by Tony Ramos Flores

Northern Arizona, ranked No. 2 nationally, placed five scorers in the top 20 to produce a 52-95 victory against defending meet and Division 1 women’s team champion, top-ranked North Carolina State, which had Tuohy and Kelsey Chmiel finish second and third, respectively. It marked the first women’s title in Northern Arizona program history at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.

Georgetown took third with 208 points, Stanford finished fourth at 227 points, with Valby helping Florida place fifth with 262 points and Notre Dame securing sixth at 292 points.

The top-ranked Lumberjacks added to their men’s legacy at Nuttycombe, capturing a sixth team crown by having five scorers finish in the top 30 in a 76-162 triumph against No. 2 Brigham Young.

Northern Arizona won for the first time in 2013, followed by four in a row from 2015-19.

Syracuse was third with 251 points, Cal Baptist achieved fourth at 272 points and Texas took fifth with 286 points, just one point ahead of the Blanks-led Harvard lineup.

Blanks emerged victorious in 23 minutes, 23.4 seconds to become the first American-born men’s winner at Nuttycombe since 2010, with Northern Arizona’s Nico Young placing second in his season debut in 23:26.1 and New Mexico freshman Habtom Samuel from Eritrea taking third in 23:26.2.

Stanford’s Ky Robinson, representing Australia, was fourth also in 23:26.2 after winning last season.

Wisconsin’s Jackson Sharp, another Australian competitor, finished fifth in 23:26.4, and Wake Forest freshman Rocky Hansen earned sixth in 23:27.2.

North Carolina had Parker Wolfe place seventh in 23:29.0 and John Carroll transfer Alex Phillip grab 11th in 23:38.5, with Gonzaga’s Wil Smith achieving ninth in 23:32.5.

BYU’s runner-up team effort was led by Creed Thompson taking 10th in 23:35.3 and Joey Nokes finishing 13th in 23:42.7.

Northern Arizona supported Young, with Homestead High graduate and former Wisconsin prep standout Drew Bosley earning eighth in 23:32.1, Wake Forest transfer Aaron Las Heras placing 12th in 23:39.0, New Zealand’s Theo Quax capturing 25th in 23:55.3 and Santiago Prosser finishing 29th in 23:57.6.

Corey Gorgas was 33rd in 23:59.7, Brodey Hasty achieved 43rd in 24:04.0, with Kang Nyoak placing 70th in 24:13.4 for the Lumberjacks.

Valby became the first Florida women’s individual winner in Madison since Charlotte Browning in 2010, clocking 19:17.2 in her season debut to eclipse the course record of 19:23.2 established at the 2017 event by Ednah Kurgat of New Mexico.

Tuohy, last year’s winner, was second in 19:29.5, followed by Chmiel taking third in 19:52.5.

Elise Stearns led Northern Arizona by placing fourth in 19:54.6, with New Mexico transfer and Canadian athlete Gracelyn Larkin earning eighth in 20:01.5 and Annika Reiss taking 10th in 20:06.8.

Aliandrea Upshaw, another New Mexico transfer, grabbed 12th in 20:08.7, and Australian competitor Keira Moore achieved 18th in 20:16.9 for the Lumberjacks. San Francisco transfer and another Australian athlete Ruby Smee captured 24th in 20:25.9, with British performer and New Mexico transfer Maisie Grice finishing 44th in 20:41.6 and Maggi Congdon securing 47th in 20:42.1 for Northern Arizona.

Kaylee Mitchell finished fifth in 19:56.6 for Oregon State, which achieved a seventh-place performance with 315 points.

Maia Ramsden of New Zealand secured sixth for Harvard in 19:59.1, with Chloe Scrimgeour earning seventh in 19:59.2 and Melissa Riggins placing 15th in 20:13.3 for third-place Georgetown.

Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich took ninth in 20:02.7, Dutch athlete Amina Maatoug from Duke achieved 11th in 20:07.1, Australian competitor and Stanford freshman Amy Bunnage was in the top three with Valby and Tuohy through the first half of the race, before placing 13th in 20:12.1.

Tuohy and Chmiel were supported by freshman Leah Stephens securing 14th for North Carolina State in 20:12.7, as the Wolfpack had five scorers in the top 55.

Northern Arizona also showcased its depth in the women’s 6-kilometer ‘B’ race, taking the top three spots, with Nikita Moore (21:24.6), Meagan Van Pelt (21:32.5) and Anna Fenske (21:34.7) contributing to a 62-66 victory against Michigan State.

Penn State’s Evan Dorenkamp prevailed in the men’s 8-kilometer ‘B’ competition in 24:56.7, with Boise State producing a 62-91 victory against Michigan.