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Thunderbird Cross Country Recap: Dave Murray Invite
Thunderbird Cross Country Recap: Dave Murray Invite
Posted: Sep 29, 2025

Thunderbird Cross Country Recap: Dave Murray Invite

Results

Saturday September 28,  2025 - 10:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

Women's Cross Country

The nation's top-ranked Mesa women's cross country team showed both strength and depth with seven finishers in the top 50. Olivia Baker led the Thunderbirds once again, placing 4th overall with a time of 22:21.1. Kinley Jackson turned in a strong performance as well, finishing 14th at 23:15.1. Lucy Melzer (27th, 23:55.1) and Katie Munoz (29th, 24:06.5) packed closely to bolster Mesa's scoring, while Marissa Hernandez (38th, 25:12.4), Evalyn Perez (41st, 25:21.1), and Olivia Scroggins (45th, 26:48.5) rounded out the lineup.

Head coach Daniel Pescador was pleased with the effort, noting the significance of their performance against strong competition:
"It was a good day overall, Olivia Baker had another stellar performance finishing 4th overall! Kinley also has a great run as she continues to move into peak shape. Our women had a good group run, but nowhere near our best but they still showed their depth and talent as they topped NCAA Division I and Big 12 member ASU, and came within 5 points of NCAA Division I GCU. That puts the team in a very good position as we get closer to the national championships in less than 6 weeks."

Men's Cross Country 

The No. 4 ranked Thunderbird men placed eight runners in the top 85, with Cal Schnepf leading the charge. Schnepf finished 37th in 26:09.2, coming within seven seconds of his personal best. Benett Kaup (54th, 26:52.2) and Alex Lopez (26:53.1) worked tightly together, while Dean Haller (61st, 27:07.5) added a strong effort. Brady Moar (67th, 27:33.3), Caleb Faba (73rd, 27:57.4), Edgar Molera-Madril (76th, 28:15.3), and Deng Majak (82nd, 28:49.8) completed Mesa's team performance.

Pescador emphasized that while the day wasn't their best, it provided valuable lessons:
"Cal ran a good race today getting within 7 seconds of his personal best. Overall for the men, we underperformed", said Pescador, "it was a great opportunity to showcase their depth and talent, but it slipped away. It was a good learning and humbling experience, as we press forward to national championships in less than 6 weeks."