The first month of the Division I men's and women's cross country season is in the books and it was difficult — but not impossible — to narrow it down to seven top performances.
Here they are, beginning with Natalie Cook's victorious debut for Oklahoma State.
Women's cross country
Athletes listed alphabetically by last name.
Natalie Cook | Oklahoma State | Cowboy Jamboree
The top cross country performances list begins with a runner who began her collegiate career with a win. Oklahoma State's Natalie Cook won the Cowboy Jamboree in her first career race among a field of 12 ranked teams (six from the top 10). Cook ran the sixth-fastest time in course history at 20 minutes, 17.1 seconds. She also beat last year's Cowboy Jamboree champion and her fellow teammate in Taylor Roe by three seconds.
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Liz, El and Christine Mancini | La Salle | Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown
La Salle's Liz Mancini won the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, running a career-best time of 17:02.2. In the win, Liz Mancini beat her sisters El Mancini in fourth place at 17:27.2 and Christine Mancini in 17th place at 17:45.5. The Mancini sisters finished as La Salle's top-three finishers and helped lead the team to a fourth-place finish at the invitational.
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Katelyn Tuohy | NC State | Joe Piane Invitational
Katelyn Tuohy closed the month with an impressive performance at Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invitational. Tuohy won in 15:50.0, finishing 12.1 seconds faster than Alabama's Mercy Chelangat in second place. Both Tuohy and Chelangat entered the season as top contenders for the individual national title, and Tuohy picked up the first head-to-head victory early in the season.
Tuohy's first-place win at Joe Piane helped lead NC State to the team title at the invitational. The Wolfpack finished their top-five finishers with fifth, sixth, 12th and 31st-place finishes. Together with Tuohy's win, NC State showed off its impressive depth, beating then-No. 3 New Mexico, showing why many consider the Wolfpack a favorite to repeat as national champions.
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Men's cross country
Athletes listed alphabetically by last name.
Alex Maier | Oklahoma State | Cowboy Jamboree
Oklahoma State's Alex Maier closed out a Cowboy men's-women's sweep at the Cowboy Jamboree, winning the men's individual title in 23:16.9. Maier ran the second-fastest time in invitational history, defeating a loaded field that saw eight of the top 10 teams nationally ranked in participation.
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Vincent Mauri | Arizona State | Dave Murray Invitational
Arizona State's Vincent Mauri ran at rival school Arizona's Dave Murray Invitational and destroyed the opposing field, winning by 37 seconds with a time of 23:20.4. The win was Mauri's second of the season, making him undefeated in 2022 heading into the Pac-12 Championships.
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Aden Smith | Michigan State | Roy Griak
Aden Smith became the first-ever Michigan State runner to win the men's individual title, winning the legendary meet in 24.13. Smith's finish marked a personal-best time as he moved 18 spots in the race's last three kilometers to secure the win. Thanks to Smith's history-making individual victory., Michigan State finished third at the Roy Griak Invitational.
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Theo Quax | Northern Arizona | Coaching Tree Invitational
Northern Arizona's Theo Quax won the Coaching Tree invitational in 23:26.3, winning by 8.4 seconds thanks to a final push over the last kilometer. Not only did Quax win the race outright, but he also outran his teammates Santiago Gomez-Prosser and Kang Nyoak, who finished in second and third, respectively. The 1-2-3 finish becomes even more impressive when factoring in that Northern Arizona only competed with five runners total.
