UNO sweeps Allstate Sugar Bowl Cross Country Festival
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The University of New Orleans swept the team and individual titles at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Cross Country Festival hosted by Loyola University on Saturday morning in New Orleans City Park. Archbishop Shaw and Vandebilt Catholic captured the high school varsity titles.
In the men’s collegiate race, UNO freshman Kolyn Saltzman (15:38.0) held off Loyola junior Hayden Ricca (15:38.8) in a tight finish to earn the individual championship in the three-mile race. The Privateers followed with seven of the next eight finishers to tally 20 total points for the team title. Loyola was second with 52 points, followed by Spring Hill (88), Millsaps (93) and Belhaven (153).
UNO sophomore Arina Kleshchukova crushed the field to win the women’s collegiate race with a time of 18:17.1, more than a minute faster than runner-up Abby Tew (19:22.6) from Millsaps. Xavier’s Taylor Price was third with a time of 19:26. With five of the top 13 finishers, the Privateers earned the team title with 34 points. Spring Hill, which had all five of its scorers in the top 15, was second with 55. Millsaps (68), Delta State (108) and Loyola (122 points) rounded out the top five.
High School and Middle School Results
In the boys’ high school race, John Curtis had the top three finishers: individual champion Justin Unger (17:13.20), runner-up Alex Keller (17:24.72) and Dylan Simon (17:50.10). However, those were the only runners for the Patriots, which allowed for Archbishop Shaw (30 points) to capture the team title with three runners in the top seven and five in the top 16 (a team must have five finishers to qualify for team awards). Brother Martin was second with 36 points.
Vandebilt Catholic was dominant in the girls’ high school race. The Houma, La., high school had the top seven finishers to tally a perfect score of 15 points. Brynn Kelso covered the three-mike course in 19:38.55 to collect the individual title. Ella Chesnut (20:17.87) was second, followed by Caroline Lindsay (21:10.19). Ursuline Academy earned second place with 59 points.
The middle school race was a 1.5-mile contest featuring 30 girls and 50 boys; it was not scored for teams. The top female finisher was Stella Junius from St. Pius X with a time of 10:01.59, followed by teammate Virginia Turner (10:16.45). Eyan Calico from Brother Martin posted a time of 9:06.24 to hold off teammate Michael Lizano (9:07.23) for the win in the middle-school boys’ race.
John Sudsbury
