MADISON, Wis. – Rutgers cross country closed out the 2023 Big Ten Championships Friday as junior Alex Carlson posted a top-20 finish to lead the women's team for the second-straight year.
 
Carlson finished 20th overall, crossing the finish line in 21:46.0 as the women's squad placed 13th in the team standings. The men's squad was led by freshman Micah Lawson who placed 74th in 26:16.8 as the team finished 11th overall.
 
"The men and women battled sloppy conditions on the course," said head cross country coach Matthew Jelley. "The men fought together despite losing three of their top five during the race as Kyle Rakitis, Zeb Hinker and Billy Clewell were unable to finish. With those three out, the rest of the team really stepped up with Micah Lawson and Gavin Richards making huge jumps to be our #1 and #2 runners.  Brian Pedretti, Chris Hill and Liam Tilton rounded out the scoring and had a gap of 18 seconds from 1-5 to secure a tie for our best Big Ten finish on the men's side."
 
"The course was in worse shape once the women got on," added Jelley. "Alex ran a strong race where she was in the top 10 most of the race before fading to 20th.  Riley Ferretti had a strong debut at the Big Ten Championships placing in the top 50 for her rookie campaign. Sofia Condron and Emma Baeyens ran steady for us and placed as our third and fourth runners. Ciara Bullington rounded out our top 5 jumping up 6 spots on the roster and stepping up for the team. We look forward to our next test at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at Lehigh."
 
Completing the top five on the women's side was freshman Rylee Ferretti who placed 50th in her Big Ten Championship debut, running 22:27.4. Sofia Condron finished 79th in 22:56.9, followed by Emma Baeyens in 101st with a time of 23:29.6 and Ciara Bullington in 113th with a time of 23:50.5.
 
On the men's side, the Scarlet Knights received scoring from Gavin Richards who placed 79th in 26:23.4, followed by Brian Pedretti (82nd; 26:27.1), Christopher Hill (86th; 26:34.1) and Liam Tilton (87th; 26:34.8).
 
Rutgers will return to competition in two weeks for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on the campus of Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 10.
 

TEAM SCORES

 
Men's Team
74. Micah Lawson                           26:16.8
79. Gavin Richards                          26:23.4
82. Brian Pedretti                            26:27.1
86. Chris Hill                                     26:34.1
87. Liam Tilton                                 26:34.8             
 
Women's Team
20. Alex Carlson                              21:46.0
50. Rylee Ferretti                             22:27.4
79. Sofia Condron                            22:56.9
101. Emma Baeyens                       23:29.6
113. Ciara Bullington                      23:50.5